


Old friend from the past

by DarkMage999



Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-24 00:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 50,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23000626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMage999/pseuds/DarkMage999
Summary: Blake is in New Vestroia and is experiencing boredom. She decides to join the Vexos to occupy her time, but she finds something more. Spectra Phantom the leader of the Vexos is in fact Keith Clay, an old friend of hers. Will they stay friends or become something more? Read to find out. I DO NOT OWN BAKUGAN! I ONLY OWN MY OCs!
Relationships: Spectra Phantom | Keith Fermin & Original Female Character(s), Spectra Phantom | Keith Fermin/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: The plot goes in the same direction as the show's plot. The plot isn't all over the place as before. I removed Serpent as writing him at the same time with the others proved to be very hard, and the results weren't efficient. The same applies for Masquerade also. I decided to drop the emotionless, know-it-all act for Blake/Hades as it lowkey reminded me of those mary sue edgy kids/OCs from 2012. Now Blake will have resting b*tch face, and her personality will be calm, analytical, quickly getting bored, and with tendencies for spacing out for now. She also has a confused moral compass. Katrine/Pandora is pretty much the same for now. Some ability cards may be wrong or misspelled, as not every known ability is written down online. That's most noticeable in each of Brontes's evolution. Characters may be OOC on moments. I'm saying whatever I have to say on this A/N as I don't plan always to make one. I hope you enjoy this rewritten version of my original fanfiction.

New Vestroia once a thriving land full of life and vegetation was now an empty shell of its former glory.  
Nowadays, the place was a desert surrounded by rocks.  
On those same rocks stood a tall, skinny, and a cloaked girl with long purple hair. The person was staring at the horizon.  
“Reaper.”  
The girl with long purple hair said.  
A dark purple ball, also known as bakugan, jumped on the figure’s arm.  
“Yes, Blake.”  
The bakugan’s ball opened. The bakugan had small skeletal wings, some armor and tiny head that had a resemblance to ice hockey keeper’s masks from the 1980s, but with horns.  
“Are you sure you want to continue staying with me?”  
Blake looked at the sky.  
Reaper jumped in front of her, feeling offended and angry by the question.  
“That’s the silliest question you have ever asked. Of course, I’m going to stay with you.”  
Blake smiled.  
“Why are you smiling all of a sudden?”  
Blake chuckled.  
“Boredom.”  
Blake replied, staring intensely at the sky.  
Reaper looked at her weirdly.  
“One does not smile when they are bored. Tell me the real reason.”  
“I’m going to entertain myself and revisit some old things.”  
Blake smirked.  
In another place not so far away, a guy with blond hair and red mask was sitting in his room in the Vexos palace. He was thinking about a lot of things at a time, but his concentration was mainly on how to get rid of Hydron, acquiring the Perfect Core for power, the Vexos, and the Resistance.   
The guy growled and punched the wall, waking his bakugan.  
His bakugan got near him and opened his ball form, which was dragon-like. The bakugan’s body was black and red, with tiny spikes on his wings.  
“Spectra, what’s wrong?”  
His bakugan asked. He wouldn’t do that on a typical occasion. He let Spectra deal with his problems, but this time was different. This was the first time he saw Spectra growling.   
There was no answer.  
Spectra stared blankly at the ground. His visible eye showed annoyance, anger, and, for some reason, a subtle sadness as a sudden, painful thought entered his mind.  
“From all possible times, why do I think about you, Blake of all people?”  
Spectra was inside his thoughts for a while until he decided it was enough. He calmed down and put a façade and then walked to the door, with his bakugan following him.  
“What was that about?”  
The bakugan asked.  
“Personal things, Helios.”  
Spectra left his room and started walking through the corridor until he reached the balcony. He needed some fresh air.  
Helios decided not to press anything further and followed his master.  
Blake was calmly sitting and typing on her portable laptop until a sandstorm caught her off guard.  
Blake put away her laptop and squinted with her eyes trying to see something. From what she could make out, two people were brawling against each other.  
“Haven’t seen such intense battles in a while.”  
“I need to go against them.”  
“Maybe one day.”  
The sandstorm was no more, and Blake could see everything vividly. The first boy had mint hair, and based on the clothes. Blake has seen the guy, a Darkus brawler. From what she remembers, he was brawling with a group that identified as the Resistance. She never cared to approach them as she was too busy boosting Reaper’s power. The second boy had brownish red hair, and from what she could see, he was a Pyros brawler. He looked ordinary and overconfident, reminding her of another person. His bakugan was something else. She was about to comment, but Reaper was faster.  
“It can’t be.”  
His eyes must be doing tricks on him. Reaper was shocked. He thought that Drago was the Perfect Core and couldn’t have a physical body. How is it possible for the Dragonoid to have a physical body?  
“Why do you look so petrified, Reaper? Do you know him?”  
“Not only do I know him, but also battled against him in the past. Remember when I told you about my battles on Earth with Dragonoid. This is Dragonoid I was talking about.”  
Blake looked at the ongoing battle and then Drago.  
“So this is the infamous Dragonoid. Interesting.”  
She grabbed a metallic ball from her cloak, which turned into a camera.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Collecting Data about the Ability Cards. It’s not every day you see the bakugan with the Perfect Core brawling.”  
Blake explained.  
“Besides, wouldn’t you want to battle him one day.”  
“Indeed. Now I want to fight him even more. After all, he is the reason why the Masquerade brat sent me to Doom Dimension.”  
Blake got the Data she wanted, and with that, her and Reaper left.


	2. Chapter 2

“Round 2. Start.”  
A robotic voice said.  
A virtual Neo Dragonoid started to materialize inside a simulator.  
The virtual Neo Dragonoid used “Burning Dragon.” Reaper defended himself with “Night Shield,” which turned his wings into armor. Reaper attacked the Dragonoid with his scythe, which angered him. This time he used a double ability “Burst shield” plus “Burning Dragon.” To defend himself, Reaper used “Shadow Dance,” which transformed his body into a big mass of shadow, making his opponent’s attack pass through him. The virtual Dragonoid wasn’t happy and fired at him. This time Reaper decided to be more offensive and used his scythe to stop the blast and attack at the same time. The Dragonoid dematerialized, and Reaper won.  
“Good job, Reaper.”  
Blake said.  
Reaper rested for a bit.  
“That was tiring. You didn’t tell me you were using the Data for this.”  
Reaper was panting inside the virtual arena.  
“Wasn’t it obvious? What’s the point of having a virtual arena with no one using it. You should have known me by now.”  
“Right.”  
“Anyway, you are getting stronger. You are soon going to be able to win against even Vexos league bakugan, based on my observations.”  
Blake was looking at Reaper’s stats.  
“I’m strong, but not that strong.”  
Reaper tried not to show that this stroked his ego and pretended to downplay it.  
“That’s why I said soon. Not now. And by the way, you are a terrible actor.”  
Blake turned off the simulator and left Reaper alone.  
Now in her room, she tossed her cloak somewhere and fell on her bed.  
Reaper was back in his ball form and wanted to discuss some things with Blake, but the moment he saw she was asleep, he decided not to and instead flew to the cloak, grabbing it with his teeth and tossing it on Blake like a blanket.  
The next day, Reaper tried to wake Blake up, but to no avail.  
“Come on.”  
He grew tired of trying and threw himself on her forehead painfully.  
“Ouch. What was that for?”  
She said, still rubbing her eyes.  
“You weren’t waking up, and in three hours, it’s sunset.”  
Blake groaned. She hated whenever it was time to wake up.  
“You should have let me continue to sleep.”  
“No way. As much as I like you, I can’t let you waste your life sleeping.  
Blake forcefully stood up.  
“I hate you.”  
With that, she went to her wardrobe for clothes change.  
“I know you like me.”  
“Shut up.”  
Reaper chuckled.  
After some time, Blake and Reaper were out in the forest. Blake was sitting on a high tree with Reaper circling her.  
“Say that again. I’m going to compete in the Alpha Tournament.”  
Blake nodded.  
“Correct.”  
“Can’t wait to beat everyone out there.”  
“Careful there, Reaper. You don’t know who is listening.”  
“You are becoming paranoid.”  
Blake glared daggers at him.  
“Ok. I’ll stop.”  
A movement was heard.  
“Did you hear that?”  
Blake asked.  
“Definitely.”  
The sounds were coming from the ground.  
From what Blake could see, the person was wearing all black except for a green scarf, and the way he moved reminded her of a ninja.  
She grabs Reaper and uses a teleportation card to teleport both of them at their hideout.  
“That was a close call.”  
“Indeed.”


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone was excited for the Upcoming Tournament in Alpha City. That wasn’t an ordinary Tournament, though. Whoever wins that will get the chance to join the Vexos.  
Currently, Blake was changing her usual attire into a fancier one as her plan was to show she was on a different level from the rest without flaunting it proudly. Instead of her tight jumpsuit that nearly reached her mid-thighs, she opted for tight black jeans with a silver belt and a black turtleneck. She was tying up her boots when Reaper interrupted her.  
“Blake, are you sure you want to become part of that group? Well, considering you know what.”  
Blake sighed.  
“I know what I am doing. If things get out of control, I know how to disappear.”  
“I trust you. Just be careful.”  
“Thank you, Reaper. “  
Blake smiled and put on a mask that hid her entire face.  
Later on, she was waiting for her turn inside a lounge.  
She was impatient at this point.  
“What’s taking them so long?”  
“Technical difficulties probably.”  
Reaper suggested.  
“How so? If there were technical difficulties, there should be some announcement.”  
Blake curiously looked under the mask.  
“If you were paying attention and not spacing out, you would have noticed that there are no guards.”  
“Ah. So what else did I miss?”  
“The fact that they made an announcement?”  
Reaper said.  
There was an awkward silence.  
“How much did I space out?”  
“Plenty of time.”  
Reaper replied.  
“I should have taken more coffee this morning.”  
“Seems so.”  
“And now we are starting with our solo matches. And the brawlers for the first match are quite interesting. Welcome, Dean ….”  
A guy with blonde hair and brown themed clothes stepped on the arena. He was wearing shades, but even with the black glasses he was wearing, one can see that his expression was extra cocky and looked to be full of himself. Surprisingly people were cheering for him.  
“…. and the mysterious Hades.”  
“Took them long enough.”  
“It’s our turn.”  
Reaper nearly said Hades’s real name but remembered the lecture Blake gave him if he happens to reveal her real name. He could only imagine the things she would do to him if he fails to comply.  
Hades went on the arena.  
People were whispering left and right.  
Even the Vexos were discussing it with each other. One Vexos, in particular, was overanalyzing the masked brawler.  
“Consider your ass destroyed.”  
Dean laughed cockily.  
No reply.  
“What’s the matter? Truth hurts.”  
No reply.  
“Man, you aren’t fun.”  
“And you are annoying. Too confident from the start. Let’s brawl.”  
“Fiiiiiinally, I was starting to lose patience.”  
Shadow whined from above.  
"I'm surprised you have some."  
Mylene added coldly.  
“Eeeeh.”  
“Be quiet and watch.”  
Irritated Volt said.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Subterra Fly Beetle.”  
A beetle-like bakugan stood at 350gs.  
“Beat that.”  
Hades chuckled under the mask.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan stand. Go Darkus Reaper.”  
Reaper stood at 700gs. Double the amount of Fly Beetle.  
People in the audience whispered left and right about the unusual bakugan and its brawler.  
Marucho and Dan looked shocked and disturbed. Mira noticed their change of expression but decided to be quiet.  
Dean’s arrogant and cocky façade started to crumble.  
“Attack Reaper.”  
Reaper attacked Fly Beetle with one physical attack, destroying the bakugan.  
Dean’s life gauge quickly went to zero.  
Everyone was quiet.  
“This reminds me of your battle with Lync and Volt, Dan.”  
Marucho said.  
Dan stared blankly at the arena.  
“Just how stronger has Reaper became?”  
Drago showed himself on Dan’s shoulder.  
“I don’t know, buddy.”  
Dan was still petrified.  
“Can someone tell me what’s going on?”  
Mira quietly demanded an explanation.  
“It’s a long story.”  
“We’ve got plenty of time.”  
Mira added.  
"Reaper was the second strongest of Masquerade's minion bakugans. Masquerade sacrificed Reaper by sending him to Doom Dimension so that Hydronoid could evolve. And I'm sure you know that Doom Dimension is the equivalent for Hell to bakugans and that no bakugans survive there. I was sure he disappeared when the Doom Dimension got destroyed. Not only that, but it seems he has found a new brawler.  
Marucho explained.  
“He sure is a big deal.”  
Marucho nodded.  
"Reaper alone is quite powerful. I'm surprised he has found a partner that radiates a similar aura to Masquerade. The main question is, who is this guy?"  
Marucho said.  
Mira observed Hades.  
“Omg, omg, omg, did you see it?”  
Shadow acted like a chimpanzee.  
“Can you shut up for once? We saw it. We know.”  
Mylene coldly said.  
Shadow rolled his eyes quite loudly.  
“Roasted.”  
Lync was laughing.  
“The same applies to you, Lync.”  
Volt added.  
Shadow was about to say something, but Mylene stopped him with a glare.  
Despite the noise, Spectra was observing everything to the last detail.  
“Let’s see how this plays out.”  
Spectra chuckled.  
The announcer cleared out his throat.  
“And now, let’s welcome another brawler. Welcome ‘The masked brawler’ who will be facing …”  
The announcer was searching through the names.  
The battle quickly started and ended with “The masked brawler” being disqualified.  
Hades had a blank expression underneath the mask.  
Reaper was having an excellent quiet laugh on Hades’s shoulders.  
“The next battle is Hades vs.…”  
The announcer was searching through the names again.  
This battle quickly ended like the last one.  
“This is starting to get boring.”  
Lync complained.  
“Like it or not. You have to watch it.”  
Mylene was as annoyed as Lync but didn’t show it as much.  
“I honestly want to know if the other brawlers are like that.”  
“We don’t know anything yet. Just wait.”  
“Right.”  
It was time for the final, after five won brawls.  
Gus quickly left for the arena.  
“And now one of the most anticipated brawls. Hades vs. Gus from the Vexos.”  
Cheers were heard from everywhere.  
“Before we start, let me get some things straight. I’m not like those weaklings you battled. I’m stronger, and I will show it to you by defeating you in Vexos style.”  
Gus was serious.  
Hades chuckled.  
“What’s so funny?”  
“Let’s brawl.”  
Gus smirked.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan stand. Go Subterra Premo Vulcan.”  
A massive 500gs, bakugan with giant arms, revealed itself.  
“Your turn.”  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan stand. Go Darkus Reaper.”  
Reaper stood at 700gs.  
“Ability Activate Shadow Dance.”  
Reaper’s body turned into a big mass of shadow attacking Vulcan from every angle.  
200gs were subtracted from Premo Vulcan. From 500gs, he went to 300gs.  
Gus frowned.  
“Not for long. Ability Activate Heavy Aegis.”  
Premo Vulcan’s right hand started spinning like a drill  
Shadow Dance was nullified, and as a result, Reaper returned to his original form.  
He got his 200 gs from before and another 200 gs, because of Heavy Aegis. He became 700gs.  
"We are even. Vulcan continues with the attack."  
Vulcan increased the force in his attack.  
Reaper was barely holding.  
Reaper’s face screamed for help.  
“Ability Activate Darkus Infection.”  
Vulcan lost 200gs because Heavy Aegis was nullified. He returned to a base level of 500gs.  
Reaper’s left wing was flapping at such a speed that could make a lot of Ventus bakugan jealous.  
Gus laughed.  
“It’s pointless. Whatever you do, you are bound to lose.”  
Hades chuckled.  
“That’s what you think. Reaper now.”  
With the last flap, the arena became beyond unseeable — raw darkness. Not even bats could navigate in such darkness.  
The Vexos gasped except Spectra who was even more intrigued.  
“What the hell?!”  
“When Darkus Infection is activated, all of your abilities are nullified, and you won’t be able to use any abilities for the rest of the brawl.”  
“You …”  
Gus was angry.  
“I’ve never seen anything like that before.”  
Mylene commented.  
“That’s interesting.”  
Spectra said while trying to observe through the darkness.  
“I can’t see anything.”  
Vulcan had a hard time balancing, now that he couldn’t see anything.  
“Double Ability Activate Darkus Double Slicer plus Sting.”  
300gs were added to Reaper. From 700gs, he goes to 1000gs.  
Reaper swung his scythe to form a purple x like effect. The x attacked Vulcan, making him fall on the ground.  
When Vulcan was on the ground and couldn’t move, Reaper used Sting, which was similar to Darkus Double Slicer, but also not quite. Instead of a significant and immediate hit, it was a small and fast hits that subtracted 20gs per hit.  
Vulcan got hit 15 times, which meant he lost 300gs. From 500gs, he went to 200gs.  
“I can’t take it anymore.”  
Vulcan said, returning to his ball form.  
Gus lost 350 from his life gauge. He went from 500 to 150.  
The unseeable darkness was lifted.  
The audience was shocked.  
“That’s something I’ve never seen before, and it was awesome.”  
The last part of the announcer’s made the entire audience wild again.  
Marucho and Dan’s jaws were wide open.  
“I can’t believe this is the same Reaper from three years ago.”  
Drago said.  
The rest of the Vexos were silent and as curious as Spectra.  
“You got me there, but that won’t happen again.”  
Gus glared.  
Hades chuckled.  
“Go Subterra Premo Vulcan.”  
Premo Vulcan roared as a sign of wanting payback.  
“Hm. Go Darkus Reaper.  
“Ability Activate Shadow Ground.”  
“That doesn’t work, you know.”  
Gus cockily said.  
Reaper’s body turned into a shadow mass, but this time instead of floating, disappeared under the ground.  
200gs were added to Reaper. From 700gs, he went to 900gs.  
"Hmm. You tricked me. Not bad. Vulcan finds your prey."  
Vulcan started to destroy the arena ground to find Reaper.  
“What you are doing is pitiful.”  
Hades stated.  
“Maybe, but it’s not over yet. Hexados stand.”  
A centipede-like bakugan started crawling underneath.  
“What the …”  
“Get him Hexados.”  
Hexados quickly found Reaper.  
“Ability Activate Ray Drill.”  
200gs were added to Hexados. From 350gs, he went to 550gs.  
“Double Ability Activate Darkus Infection plus Sting.”  
The arena became an unseeable dark again.  
Hexados’s ability was nullified. He went from 550gs to 350gs  
“Not again.”  
Gus was annoyed.  
“Reaper, you know what to do.”  
Reaper used Sting and hit Hexados and Vulcan numerous times until they returned to a ball form.  
Gus’s life gauge dropped to zero, making Hades the winner.  
“You were saying something at the beginning.”  
Hades sounded sassy, but if one looked behind the mask right now would find out that Hades was condescending.  
The audience was shocked and silent. There were some whispers here and there, but overall silent.  
“That was incredible. Nobody has ever beaten the Vexos. That’s a first.”  
The announcer quickly said.  
The audience became wild in a matter of seconds.  
Hades and Gus left the arena.  
Lync’s jaw dropped.  
“Eeeeh. Say whaaaaaat?!”  
“Shadow, I know you still have one brain cell left. Use it.”  
Mylene snapped at him.  
“Buuut, is it for reeal?”  
Shadow glued his face to the windows.  
“Cut it out all of you.”  
Volt was annoyed by their behavior.  
He quickly looked at Spectra, who seemed to be unfazed by the whole commotion. Volt didn’t like Spectra, but he could give him props for not snapping in situations like these.  
“That last fight took a toll on me.”  
Reaper stretched in his ball form.  
“I can only imagine.”  
“Yeah.”  
Hades and Reaper were about to leave until a voice stopped them.  
“You there.”  
Hades stopped and turned to see who the voice belonged.  
Blonde hair, red mask, and red furry coat – the Vexos’ leader, Spectra Phantom, was calling them.  
“Yes.”  
Hades was puzzled.  
“The fight was magnificent. You are strong.”  
Spectra said straight to the point.  
“Thanks, I guess.”  
“Now, the important question. Will you join the Vexos?”  
“Of course.”  
“Good. Follow me.”  
That was the weirdest conversation for Spectra. Usually, people were stubborn, excited, and loud when they meet him, but this person was the opposite of everything. Calm, collected, and confident. Too certain.  
Hades followed Spectra to a gigantic place.  
Spectra went to the keyboard, typing something.  
A hologram of prince Hydron appeared.  
“Spectra.”  
Spectra bowed.  
Hades did the same.  
“Whatever he is doing, I am going to copy him.”  
“I see you’ve brought a new face. Who is the new face?”  
Prince Hydron asked while playing with his hair.  
“This is Hades. He won the Tournament in the singles division against Gus.”  
Spectra explained while still bowing.  
“Interesting. He has potential. I say, why not. The new member is your responsibility for the time being.”  
With that, the prince logged off.  
Spectra made a sign for Hades to follow him.  
They were walking until they reached a giant room where the remaining Vexos are.  
Just by looking at them, Hades questioned if he made the right decision.


	4. Chapter 4

One month has passed since Hades joined the Vexos.  
A girl named Katrine, who went under the name of Pandora, managed to contact Hades. In the not so distant past, those two worked together.   
Pandora: Omg! Omg! I can't believe you managed to get into another powerful group.  
Hades could feel Pandora's hyperactivity through the chat.  
Hades: Let's not forget that I was in the Twelve Minor Orders, Kazarina's assistant, and the brawler that got so many legends created for – Faceless.  
Pandora: If that isn't showing off, I don't know what that is.  
Hades: It will be a showoff if I get a megaphone and start saying everything from the sentence above while also being naked on the streets.  
Pandora: …  
Hades: I can sense you are rolling your eyes at me.  
Pandora: Duh.  
Hades: That sass.  
Pandora: Yeah. Anyways back to the present. How's working with the Vexos? Are there any hot guys?  
Hades: …  
Pandora: I know you are sighing and questioning whether or not you should face a wall.  
Hades: …  
Pandora: Stop it. It ain't funny anymore.  
Hades: Now, you know how I feel.  
Pandora: Ok. I get it. Now tell me about the scoop in detail for starters with the members.  
Hades could feel Pandora wiggling her eyebrows behind the screen and also having the time of her life by asking those questions.  
Hades sighed  
Hades: Ok. So there are six members. Shadow is the Darkus brawler. Crazy, hyperactive, and hyena are the three words to describe him. Lync is the Ventus brawler. Kind of like Shadow except the hyena part. But instead, he is a narcissist. A big one at that. Volt is the Haos brawler. Quiet and serious. Mylene is the Aquos brawler. She is cold. Nothing else for her. Gus is the Subterra brawler. I was against him at the finals of the Tournament. Can't say a lot for him, but for some reason, there is hidden bitterness whenever we meet. And finally the last member – Spectra Phantom, the Pyros brawler and the leader of the bunch. I've barely interacted with him, so I can't say a lot.  
Pandora: Damn. You are in an exciting group. Do you have a crush on someone?  
Hades: For Pete's sake. Is that why you asked me about the members? Are boys the only thing on your mind?  
Hades typed, annoyed.  
Pandora: Chill there. I don't think about boys 24/7.  
Hades: You sure?  
Pandora: DON'T YOU DARE RAISE YOUR NON-EXISTENT EYEBROWS AT ME!!!!  
Hades: THEY WOULD HAVE STILL EXISTED IF YOU DIDN'T MISTAKE YOUR CHEMISTRY!  
Pandora: …  
Hades: …  
Hades: Anyway, want to hear the rest of the stories?  
Pandora: All the yes.  
Hades: Before I was given any task, I had to know the palace. And guess who gave me a tour of all the people. …  
Pandora: Who?  
Hades: Gus.  
Pandora: That … must have been awkward.  
Hades: Indeed was. The guy tried to keep things professional, but I could feel the bitterness emitting from him. Not only that, but there were hints of insecurity. I don't know how to explain it. He also told things pretty fast with few words, and needless to say, I feel I might get lost.  
Pandora: Boi.  
Hades: Next, I had to do on a patrol duty with Volt and Lync. Volt was quiet and ok, but Lync was another story. Shortly said, he was too loud. I had a headache the next day.  
Pandora: Damn.  
Hades: Days later, I was tasked to help Shadow. The task-help him find any metal for someone named Professor Clay. It was good for the first hour. After that, he started to sing. I wouldn't mind if he sang well, but he sang in the worst way possible. Karaoke singers are better. The job took a whole day, and let's say I had a headache and sore arms now.  
Pandora: That's what you got when you didn't train back in the day.  
Hades: It's not like I was lazy.  
Pandora: Right.  
Hades ignored Pandora's sarcasm and proceeded with typing the next story.  
Hades: The third task was supervising with Mylene, which was the best of all. Mylene was surprisingly calm. Surprisingly she didn’t frown or glare and was the nicest to work with.  
Pandora: :OOOOO Nice.  
Hades: Yeah.  
Pandora: What about Spectra?  
Hades: We haven’t worked together yet.  
Pandora: Really? : (  
Hades: Yes.  
Pandora: Such a loss.  
Hades: PANDORA!  
Suddenly there was a knock.  
“Who’s there?”  
Hades asked.  
“Spectra Phantom.”  
Hades: Speak of the devil. We will chat later. I got to go.  
Hades closed the laptop.  
“I’m coming.”  
Hades said, turning the voice on the mask.  
Hades opened the door.  
“I apologize for taking longer.”  
“It’s fine. Try not to do it next time.”  
There was a silence between them.  
“In two hours, you are going on a mission with Gus and me. We are going to stop some unwanted visitors. We are going to wait for you near the Vestal Destroyer site. Don’t be late.”  
Spectra explained.  
Hades nodded for answer, and Spectra left.  
Spectra was walking through the empty corridors in thought.  
“Hades’ body language and way of speech remind me of someone. Maybe I miss Blake a little too much.”  
Spectra continued walking through the corridor until his steps became an echo.  
Reaper showed himself on Hades’s shoulder.  
“I have a bad feeling about this.”  
Reaper said.


	5. Chapter 5

Hades was walking towards the meeting place.  
“Why did he choose me to come? There are more experienced people in the Vexos.”  
Hades whispered to Reaper.  
“This guy is hiding something.”  
“Reaper. Don’t forget. I was a member for a month or so. It’s understandable why. And even if he were hiding something bigger between the lines, he wouldn’t tell it to me exactly. Can’t you see that the only person he trusts is Gus.”  
“I agree with you. Just be careful.”  
Hades nodded.  
Hades entered the Vestal Destroyer site and saw Gus and Spectra.  
“Right on time.”  
Spectra stated.  
“It was risky calling you. Don’t fail.”  
Gus low-key glared at Hades  
“Well, I did make a promise, and I don’t back off once a promise is made.”  
Spectra let a tiny smile.  
“Good. Now follow us.”  
Gus sternly said.  
Hades nodded and followed them.  
“Did Spectra low-key smile or I’m going crazy?”  
They went to the transport room where they got inside a jet and immediately took off.  
They arrived at their destination in seconds and were currently hiding behind rocks.  
There was currently a brawl — Shadow vs. someone that looked similar to the "Masked brawler" from the Tournament. There were also recognizable faces and new ones. The person that stood the most was a girl that looked like a hologram but didn't give that feeling. There was also an open portal.  
“Maybe that’s why they are brawling.”  
“Prince Hydron is afraid of Earth, but I’m intrigued. There is no guarantee we will be able to return. Both of you don’t have to come with me, you know.”  
“Oh, I’m coming. Wherever you go, I go with you, Master Spectra.”  
Gus declared.  
Spectra looked at Hades.  
“I’m coming too.”  
The three ran to the portal until Lync showed from nowhere.  
“Lync.”  
Spectra pretended to sound surprised, but was in reality, very annoyed by the boy’s presence.  
“Perhaps I’m wrong, but I don’t recall prince Hydron commanding us to the human world, great Spectra.”  
Lync tried to mock Spectra.  
“Which begs the question, why are you here?”  
Spectra asked.  
“Who knows what trouble you can get to if I leave you three alone.”  
Lync mocked again.  
“Honestly, I expected more from you, Hades.”  
“You are burring your nose in other people’s business. What can I say about you?”  
Hades was silent but didn't try to look guilty.  
Even with the mask, Reaper could tell that Lync was going on Hades’s nerves.  
“Do what you like, we are going.”  
Spectra was very annoyed with Lync now.  
Spectra, Gus, and Hades jumped inside the portal, followed by Lync.  
They arrived at the destination, which was a laboratory.  
“Looks like we have company.”  
An older man, by the name of Michael, said.  
The four Vexos silhouette appeared.  
Reaper showed himself on Hades’s shoulder as he needed to stretch himself.  
“Vexos – the worst boyband ever.”  
Dan said.  
“Only if you knew.”  
Hades imagined the reaction when removing the mask, and one thing was for sure, the reveal would come out like a plot twist.  
Drago showed himself on Dan’s shoulder.  
"Reaper, I can't believe you managed to fall that low."  
Drago said.  
Spectra and Gus looked at Hades’s and Reaper’s direction while Lync quietly hid somewhere.  
A pink-haired boy was fidgeting and experiencing inner crisis for not knowing this for his idols, Dan and Drago.  
Reaper went forward.  
“Low. Like what? Don’t make yourself sound like a saint Drago, because you aren’t even with the Perfect Core.”  
“You know each other?”  
Gus commented.  
“Know. That’s a weak word. We used to fight a lot before you evolved. And you were the reason why I was sent to the Doom Dimension to rot away, Drago.”  
“Which you aren’t, but how are you even alive? The Ancient warriors destroyed the Doom Dimension and all entrances.”  
Spectra became intrigued.  
"You are making me laugh, Drago. Do you think an entire dimension will be wiped out for something like that? If the Doom Dimension gets wiped out, where do you think the Ancient Warriors would put the worst of the worst? What the Ancient Warriors destroyed was only the entrance. Remember, you said that."   
Reaper taunted Drago.  
"That doesn't explain everything, Reaper. Why are you alive?"  
“I was sent to the Deepest Part of the Doom Dimension. And as for how I am alive is thanks to Hades. Hades found me and regrew all my missing flesh and eye.”  
Spectra had wide eyes. Who is Hades? If the deepest parts of the Doom Dimension are for the worst, what did Hades do to go there?  
“This is making me puke.”  
The pink-haired guy said.  
"Baron, get a grip."  
Dan said, glaring at the Vexos, especially Hades and Reaper.  
“Enough talking.”  
Spectra went there and grabbed the girl that was formerly a hologram looking and jumped through the window.  
Gus and Hades followed him.  
Behind the mask, Hades was amazed and shocked.  
“How is he able to do this without injuring himself?”  
Lync was walking in the forest.  
"Great. We are stranded on an icy planet in another Universe. Spectra couldn't transport us to another place like the beach instead."  
Gus and Hades stopped in the forest when they saw Lync complaining about everything.  
“Nobody forced you to come.”  
Gus said.  
"Like hell, I would listen to you lapdog.”  
“Very funny. Next time plan ahead, before jumping into action.”  
Hades taunted Lync.  
“Shut up newbie.”  
Hades chuckled.  
“That’s it.”  
Lync said preparing his gauntlet.  
Hades and Gus prepared their gauntlets too.  
Before the three of them started brawling, Mira and Baron ran into them.  
“You are brawling. Problems in Paradise.”  
Baron looked confused.  
“Rip each other for all I care. Just tell me where Spectra took our friend Runo.”  
“So that’s her name.”  
“Who knows? Why don’t you ask those two over here?”  
Gus immediately took off while Hades stood there.  
“Hey. Get back here.”  
Mira screamed at Gus.  
“Aren’t you going to follow him?”  
Baron asked looking at Hades.  
Hades chuckled and disappeared deeper into the woods.  
“Gus wait.”  
Mira was running out of breath until she stopped.  
“Oh, no.”  
She thought.  
“Join you?! Have you lost it?!”  
Dan was angry with this thought.  
Spectra chuckled.  
Hades was in the shadows observing the situation and judging Spectra from behind the mask.  
“We share the same goal. To save all the bakugan.”  
“Hmm. It doesn’t look like that, Spectra.”  
“Yeah, right.”  
Dan snapped.  
“It’s true, human. Master Spectra tells the truth. Prince Hydron is the true enemy.”  
Gus jumped and had eye contact with Dan.  
Dan was angry.  
Hades went near Gus when nobody was paying attention.  
“Something is fishy.”  
“You can’t be trusted. You take Runo, and now you want to team up.”  
Dan yelled at Spectra.  
“Not cool.”  
Runo said.  
“I’ll show good faith. The girl is yours.”  
Spectra said, releasing the girl.  
Another girl hugged her.  
“Keep in mind that prince Hydron has all your bakugans like statues in his throne room.”  
Gasps were heard.  
“No way. Statues.”  
The girls that hugged each other said at the same time.  
“Yes. All five bakugan are there. They stand as an example of anyone who dares to defy Prince Hydron’s orders.  
Spectra got near Gus.  
Gus looked at him.  
“Of course. Taking Prince Hydron will be a lot easier with the help of the Resistance. Then the way will be clear for Spectra to rule New Vestroia with the power of the bakugan in our hands, we will become invincible. Once that happens, nothing can stop us. I will rule next to Spectra…”  
Gus looked at Hades.  
… And if things go well, Hades will be our servant. The only thing we have to do is get him on our side completely.”  
Gus chuckled at this thought.  
“If you want to save your friends, you must work with me.”  
Spectra explained.  
“Like you are so trustworthy.”  
Julie retorted.  
“I’m telling the truth.”  
There were signs of hesitation.  
“I’m curious to know both sides of the story.”  
“They are going for it.”  
Gus smirked.  
“Don’t believe him.”  
Drago said.  
They snapped back to reality.  
Gus’s smirk was destroyed.  
“Even if what you said may be true. We will never join the Vexos. After all, you did invade New Vestroia and took their home.”  
Dan was clear with his words.  
“Now that I think of it. It does look like that. I mean Vestals populated New Vestroia. I was a kid. I don’t remember much. All I did was being with my parents, who are now dead or play with other kids like Keith and Mira Clay. Ugh. Just trying to remember gives me so much headache. That aside just how corrupted is the Vestal royal family.”  
Hades was in deep thought.  
That was enough for a distraction.  
A girl with red hair, also known as Alice showed up.  
“How did you appear?”  
Dan looked surprised.  
“Remember.”  
Alice showed her a teleportation card.  
“It seems another possesses such card. A human to possess such a card. Interesting.”  
“This card helped me find you guys, and as for you three, you are going on another trip.”  
“Alice, don’t do it.”  
Dan shouted.  
Alice didn’t listen and went near the three Vexos.  
Dan followed them.  
They teleported to the laboratory.  
“Alice, Dan, stay away.”  
Dr. Michael turned on the transporter.  
The trio was vacuumed inside the transporter and hopefully sent somewhere else too.


	6. Chapter 6

The trio landed in different places.  
“Ouch.”  
Hades held his head, trying to ease the pain.  
“Are you ok?”  
Reaper asked.  
“Slightly dizzy, but good. Where are we? And where are Gus and Spectra?”  
Reaper looked around.  
“It looks like we are in a dark alley, and to be honest. I don’t know.”  
“Strange”  
“But where?”  
“Judging by the buildings, I can guess, Wardington.”  
“I’ve been here before three years ago.”  
Reaper said, remembering the times when he was tossed like a marionette rag for Masquerade's plans.  
Hades looked around.  
Meanwhile, Spectra and Gus landed inside a Ferris wheel cabin.  
Gus painfully landed.  
“Where are we? Where is Hades?”  
“On Earth. And I don’t know. He must be teleported somewhere else.”  
Spectra calmly replies.  
“Anyway, that besides. Don’t worry. I took precautions. We still have unfinished business with Dan Kuso.”  
“Ugh. I can’t believe this is happening.”  
“For crying out loud, I told you that I had a bad feeling.”  
Reaper said as a matter of fact.  
“Shut up.”  
Hades was irritated with Reaper until an idea popped in his mind.  
Hades chuckled.  
“I know when you are like that. What’s the plan?”  
“Will be here for a while. Some things.”  
“And by some things, you mean somewhere to eat.”  
Reaper said.  
“Yeah, that too.”  
“How am I not surprised?”  
Reaper sighed.  
“Before any of that happens, I need to contact a friend.”  
Hades opened his portable laptop and started chatting.  
Hades: Pandora, are you awake?  
Pandora: What’s so crucial that you have to wake me up at 8 am?  
Hades: I will need your help.  
Pandora: Huh.  
Hades: Good. I’m coming in ten minutes.  
Pandora: Wait, WHAT!!  
Hades immediately closed the laptop.  
“That was quick.”  
Reaper was astonished at the speed of things working out.  
“Yeah.”  
At this moment, Hades removed the mask. Purple hair was flowing everywhere.  
“Fresh air.”  
Blake said with her normal voice.  
“It’s weird seeing you without the mask.”  
“Indeed, Reaper. Indeed.”  
Blake put her hand in one of the long jacket’s pockets and grabbed a teleportation card.  
“You could have used that one when we were in that forest, and no one was looking.”  
Blake chuckled.  
“Maybe, but think realistically. If I return earlier than those two, the Vexos and especially Prince Hydron would be suspicious. Not only that, but they would demand answers. I’m not in the mood to deal with them.”  
“You got the point there.”  
Blake nods.  
“Now come here unless you want to stay here longer.”  
“Wait for me.”  
And with that, they teleported to Pandora’s place.  
“I hate waking up.”  
Pandora said while brushing her wild hair.  
She immediately put the first thing in sight, which was a white T-shirt thrown on the coach along with yellow smiley shorts.  
“I can’t believe Blake called for help so early in the morning.”  
Pandora yawned.  
"Look it on the bright side. You'll meet again. The last time you two met was two years ago."  
A Ventus bakugan named Blickazard commented.  
“I knoooow, but why so early.”  
Pandora complained.  
“Speaking of which your guest is here.”  
Blickazard said, pointing to the white light.  
“It’s been a while Pandora.”  
Blake said happily.  
Pandora frowned for a bit until her expression softened.  
“Who am I kidding? I missed you so damn much.”  
Pandora said while hugging Blake tightly.  
“Pandy.”  
“Yes.”  
“I don’t feel my lungs.”  
“Ah, sorry.”  
Pandora broke the hug.  
“By the way, meet Ventus Blickazard.”  
“Ventus Blickazard at your service.”  
“Nice to meet you there.”  
Blake said.  
Blake said.  
“I’m Darkus Reaper.”  
“Nice to meet you, Reaper.”  
Blickazard said.  
“As much as I would like to talk to you, what’s the emergency?”  
Pandora asked.  
“Long story short. I went on a mission with Gus and Spectra. Lync followed us. We were teleported to a snowy forest. After that, we were tricked into going to a transporter, and we split. We teleported to a city called Wardington. And now I’m alone because I have no idea where Spectra and Gus are.”  
“And you need my help for?”  
Pandora raised an eyebrow.  
“Lend me some clothes, because I will stay for a while in Wardington.”  
“Uh-huh. Let me guess-a lot of eating.”  
“Yes.”  
Pandora laughed.  
“Girl, you should have seen your face.”  
“What about it?”  
“You went beyond pale.”  
“How did you guess?”  
“I know you well enough. For some things, you are like an open book.”  
“Not that you aren’t, Pandy.”  
“I don’t deny that.”  
Blake chuckled.  
“Now, what do you want for clothes?”  
“Something leathery. Do you have leather shorts? I don’t have preferences for tops.”  
“Girl, you are in luck. Just wait a second.”  
Pandora quickly went to her room and returned with an unpacked packet.  
“What’s that?”  
“It was something I ordered online for myself, but you need it more at the moment.”  
Pandora smiled.  
Blake grabbed the packet and went to Pandora’s room to change.  
“What’s inside?”  
Blake thought while unpacking.  
When she finished, the packet contained black leather shorts, a black leather top that could pass for a sports bra, and a silver leather jacket.  
“I haven’t shown so much skin in a while.”  
Blake looked around the room.  
“Pandora.”  
“Yes?”  
“Do you have some fishnets?”  
“Wardrobe’s left-wing, bottom cabinet.”  
“Thank you.”  
Blake grabbed the first fishnets she could see and quickly dressed.  
“I’m done.”  
Reaper looked at his brawler. The last time Blake wore something so revealing was two years ago, and even after that, she tried the clothes to appear moderately revealing. He wanted to say something but remained quiet as he remembered that Blake was technically adult by both Vestal and human means.  
“Woah, girl. If you remove the jacket, the roses tattoo will be on display.”  
“Like I didn’t know.”  
Blake was sarcastic.  
“Don’t tell me that you crushed on me?”  
“Not a chance. You look bomb. And by the way, have this.”  
Pandora gave Blake a bag with skull patterns for putting the mask, the Vexos clothes, and gauntlet.”  
“That’s considerate of you, Pandy, but how am I suppose to lump together all those things in this.”  
“Thanks.”  
“You welcome.”  
Blake turned off her gauntlet and put it first, then the mask and then the jacket and finally the tight black suit.  
“They fit. That’s surprising.”  
Blake was amazed at the bag’s capacity.  
“When you change into the Vexos clothes, go to a public toilet as they don’t have cameras inside, and your identity will be hidden.”  
"I did have a similar thought but thank you anyway. Now I must go. See you later."  
Blake used the card and disappeared.  
“Can I ask something?”  
“Sure.”  
Pandora replied.  
“Why do you still want to be referred to as Pandora?”  
Pandora sighed.  
“If I use my real name now, my family and especially aunt Kazarina will use me for her gain. I’ll be like a tool. I’ll use my real name once my family is destroyed.”  
Pandora’s cheery façade slowly disappeared.  
“What about this girl Blake?”  
“She knows my name, but I told her never to use it. No matter the circumstances.”  
Blickazard was silent.  
“She isn’t the only one to know it, though. Five other people knew it. Unfortunately, two are dead.”  
Pandora had a sad smile.  
Blake found a café and ordered herself a big box of macarons and an iced coffee.  
Blake finished the box in no time.  
“You must have been quite hungry.”  
Blake quickly finished her ice coffee.  
“I always forget that you can eat at beyond explainable speed.”   
Reaper said while being on Blake’s shoulder.  
“I don’t blame you. You don’t always see me eating even if we are together constantly. Don’t forget that I mostly eat at odd hours.”  
“And despite the giant portions, you are still a stick.”  
“Blame my fast metabolism.”  
Reaper quietly laughed.  
They were calmly walking until Blake spotted part of Spectra’s hair and part of his mask along with Gus’s stern face.  
“Reaper hide.”  
Blake whispered.  
Reaper hid immediately behind her neck.  
As they were passing each other, there was a cold silence and slowed time.  
Spectra slowly looked at the girl with purple hair and what could be red eyes. His eyes were wide.  
“It… can’t be.”  
He suddenly stopped, but the girl continued to walk until Spectra lost her.  
Spectra walked fast and mindlessly with Gus trying to catch up with him.  
They arrived near the warehouses where Gus brawled to keep Spectra’s identity a secret, at which he failed miserably.  
“Master Spectra, what’s wrong?”  
Spectra sighed.  
“Nothing, Gus. I need to be alone.”  
Gus wanted to say something but also wanted to respect his Master’s wish and left inside the warehouse.  
Spectra looked at the sky, wondering if he was going crazy, or it was just a silly coincidence.  
“Blake died ten years ago. Dead people can’t resurrect themselves…”  
“… But it can’t be a coincidence. Who else has black and red eyes that are gradient?”  
“Unless …”  
Spectra came to a realization.  
“…you were alive this whole time.”  
Spectra smiled at this thought.


	7. Chapter 7

“Master Spectra wasn’t himself for a while. Something bothered him. He usually trusts me with his worries, but this time he didn’t. Not only that but when he returned after that brawl with Dan Kuso, his eyes continued to emit determination. Determination was always in his eyes, but that time it was suffocating. He was determined to achieve his goal. It was like he was focusing mainly on that goal to suppress something else.”  
Gus thought, walking mindlessly in circles inside the warehouse.  
The steps he took were so loud and nervous that he made Spectra stop his work.  
“Gus, you’ve been walking like that for a while. Is there something wrong?”  
Spectra asked, still glued to his task, which was extracting the Data from the Dragonoid he took.  
“Nothing Master. I am just impatient. I want to return to New Vestroia. I think I’m starting to get sick from this weird planet’s air.”  
Gus neither answered Spectra’s question nor told the truth. It’s like he replied to an entirely different subject.  
Spectra chuckled, stopping his task.  
“Gus, you can lie exceptionally well other people, but you can’t lie to me. I know when you lie. Now tell me. What’s wrong?”  
Gus looked at the ground, ashamed that his Master caught him lying.  
Gus sighed.  
“You weren’t yourself, Master Spectra. Something else was worrying you, and I felt useless that I couldn’t help you.”  
Gus said, trying to hold a tear from escaping.  
“Gus. Come here.”  
Gus reluctantly went and was shocked to see Spectra hugging.  
“What I am about to tell you is a big secret of mine. You shall never share it with anyone, no matter the circumstances.”  
“I promise, Master.”  
Gus’s eyes lit. One could say that there were sparkles there.  
“Month or two before my family moved to New Vestroia as a kid, me and Mira met a mysterious girl in the park. She always sat alone under the shade of the biggest tree in the park. That was until one day, Mira decided to get near the girl. The girl was startled by Mira’s presence. I decided to go and see what was happening, and the mysterious girl started to climb the tree. When she saw me, she got even more scared and wanted to disappear inside the tree. Unfortunately, she stepped wrong and fell, but fortunately, I caught her before she landed painfully. She introduced herself as Blake. From that day onwards we played a lot. We became close friends. My father told Mira and me to say goodbye to our friend as we were going to New Vestroia. I was sad that day. Luckily her parents were going to New Vestroia too. It turned out that Blake’s parents were independent scientists and got special permission from the king. Our friendship was growing stronger. Until one day, I was passing with Mira to show Blake a cool board game we got from our father, but her parent’s mansion was on fire. Later that day, they put out the fire. The day after that, her parents’ charred bodies were found. Blake’s body was missing. Some time passed, and the fire turned out to be from a failed experiment that lead to explosion and, finally, fire. People were searching for months, but her body was never found, and she was declared deceased like her parents. But that’s what I thought. The day we got here on Earth, I saw somebody that looked like her. Remember when I was walking fast, and you were trying to catch up with me. That’s when I think I saw her.”  
Spectra told Gus.  
Gus hugged Spectra tighter.  
“I’m sorry, Master Spectra, for making you relieve those memories again.”  
“It’s ok, Gus. You deserve to know what happened. Besides, what’s done is done.”  
Gus nodded.  
“Now, if you excuse me, I need to finish extracting the Data.”  
Spectra broke the hug and proceeded with the task.  
Gus was quiet for a bit until he decided to ask something.  
“Master Spectra, are you sure that’s the girl, or it’s the stress catching up with you?”  
Spectra stopped again.  
“I don’t think it’s stress. Stress doesn’t cause hallucinations. I am sure that this person is her. Why should you ask? Her eyes. Her eyes were unique, looking for a Vestal. Black slowly turned into candy red. Gradient if you will.”  
“I see. Master, will it be crazy to look for her on this day.”  
Spectra was shocked when he heard this offer.  
“After everything you’ve done to me, I feel it’s right to repay you.”  
“You’ve already repaid me with your loyalty. Plus, a decade has passed since those events. Are you sure you want to try?”  
Gus nodded.  
“Now, if you excuse me, I need to finish.”  
“Right.”  
And Gus left.  
Spectra started again.  
“Who would have thought that the mighty Spectra would be so worked up about a girl?”  
Helios teased Spectra.  
“Shut up.”  
There was a faint blush on Spectra’s face.  
“Oh, you are blushing. That’s so cute.”  
Helios tried to imitate a cute voice.  
“Stop it. It’s weird when you sound like that.”  
Spectra said.  
“Are you sure you aren’t worked up?”  
“HELIOS!”  
“This is tiring.”  
Blake sat on a bench.  
Reaper had that smug look on his face saying, ‘I told you it was a bad idea.’  
“I get it, now stop being smug with me.”  
Blake sighed.  
“It’s funny when I try to go on your nerves.”  
Blake glared at him.  
“Maybe not.”  
Blake nodded slowly.  
“So, are we going to stay here, or are we going to teleport back?”  
Reaper decided it’s in the best interest, not to mention the Vexos in the streets. After all, nobody is sure who will listen to the conversation.  
“Yes, we will, but first, I need to change.”  
Blake showed the teleportation card and teleported herself and Reaper inside an empty public toilet.  
At that moment, Gus of all people passed by and was sure to tell everything he saw at the park to Spectra.


	8. Chapter 8

"You saw the same girl I was talking about?"  
Spectra asked.  
"Yes, Master."  
Gus nodded.  
"Interesting. You are alive after all."  
"Now that you've seen her, it's safe to say Blake is alive."  
"Yeah. How are we going to approach her?"  
Gus asked.  
"For now, we aren't."  
Spectra answered.  
"Why, Master?"  
Gus raised an eyebrow.  
"I don't think it's right to involve her in the bakugan world and its problems. She is probably living her life right now. I'm not going to steal that from her."  
"That's noble of you, Master Spectra."  
Gus bowed at Spectra showing his respect.  
Hades was currently at the Vexos base and lying on his bed.  
"This morning was a total drag."  
"Tell me about it. I haven't seen such a long lecture since I used to be one of Masquerade's bakugans."  
"Remind me to never leave for more than two hours here."  
The pillows muffled hades.  
There were sounds outside.  
"What's going on?"  
"We should check out and see."  
Hades nodded. He was about to lock it until Shadow suddenly appeared.  
"Boo."  
From the inside, Hades was startled but didn't let it show through body language.  
"Hey, Shadow."  
Hades casually greeted him.  
That left Shadow speechless. Even Mylene wasn’t that calm when he tried to jump scare her.  
“Only that?!”  
He yelled.  
“My ears.”  
“Yeah. Only that.”  
Hades wanted to leave so much right now.  
“Eh. You are no fun, like Mylene.”  
“Yeah, Shadow, who would willingly want to have their living daylights scared?”  
“Now, if you excuse me, I need to go.”  
“Wait there. Where do you think you are going?”  
Shadow tried to stop Hades by trying to sound serious.  
“Anywhere that you aren’t around.”  
“That’s offensive. You broooke my heart.”  
“You need to stop being overdramatic.”  
Hades grabbed his neck with her left hand and slammed him on the wall.  
“That hurts you son of a …”  
Hades didn’t let him finish the sentence and used his free hand to put pressure on the trapezius and the second rib.  
Those movements were supposed to amplify the pain, but for some reason, Shadow fell asleep on the floor, loudly snoring.  
The closet room where cleaning supplies were held was near the Vexos rooms, especially Hades.  
This was convenient, considering the current situation  
Hades unlocked the room and returned to Shadow’s sleeping body, dragging it to the entrance and then tossing him loudly inside.  
“That should leave him out of my hair for a while.”  
Hades stretched and noticed Volt standing there.  
“How much of everything did you see?”  
“The part where you tossed Shadow’s body into that closet.”  
“So half of it?”  
“Yes.”  
Volt replied.  
Hades quickly facepalmed.  
Volt chuckled.  
“Okay. See you later then.”  
Hades was about to head out.  
“Where are you going?”  
“Why are you suddenly caring?”  
“Because Lync is missing, you are going to be my temporary partner.”  
“And what are we going to do?”  
Hades asked curiously.  
“Not today, but from tomorrow.”  
Hades was relieved.  
“Okay. Thanks for telling me.”  
Volt nodded and left.  
“This day is leaving me with such a headache.”  
Hades said, walking to the central part of the base.  
“And the fact that it’s dragging at such speed is even more annoying.”  
Hades stopped and saw Volt with Shadow’s sleeping form on his back.  
“Why are you carrying Shadow like that?”  
“Prince Hydron called us to Beta city. All of us need to be there.”  
“Technically, Spectra, Gus, and Lync aren’t here, but that’s for another day.”  
“I see.”  
Hades and Volt walked to the area with jets.  
“You are driving.”  
Hades said, acquiring the passenger’s seat.  
Volt tossed Shadow in the back.  
Shadow flinched slightly but wasn’t awake.  
The jet took off, and Shadow was moving like a pinball inside the jet.  
"What did you do to him to get him like that?"  
Volt asked, amazed.  
"Putting some pressure on his pressure points. If I went a little lower, he would have been knocked out for a day and even lower a fatal ending."  
"That is interesting and scary."  
Volt made a turn.  
Shadow somehow stood and fell on Hades's shoulders.  
"Why is he so heavy?"  
The jet was slowing down until it stopped.  
"Ew. Shadow licked my mask."  
"What's taking them so long?"  
Mylene looked at the water, annoyed.  
"Someone … is here."  
Mylene looked at Shadow's sleeping body being dragged by Volt and Hades walking next to Volt.  
"What happened to him?"  
"Shadow snuck on Hades, and Hades knocked him out."  
Volt said with a deadpan face.  
Mylene smirked.  
"Never thought you were a physical fighter."  
"You don't know me."  
Mylene was quiet.  
Shadow was slowly becoming conscious.  
"Eh, what's happening?"  
Shadow rubbed his eye.  
"Why does my body feel so sore."  
Shadow tried stretching out.  
"HOW DID I ARRIVE ON BETA CITY?!"  
"And Shadow returned. Rest in peace, quiet atmosphere."  
Hades inwardly sighed.  
“Shadow, you are back.”  
Mylene said.  
“Yeah. Hehehehe.”  
“Speaking of which.”  
Mylene looked at the automatic door.  
Spectra, Gus, Lync … and Mira?!  
“How did they manage to come back?! And why is Mira here?! Unless…”  
Hades smirked behind the mask when the realization hit.  
“Ah, Spectra. Gracing us with your presence.”  
Mylene was sarcastic.  
“That’s right. We had help from the Six Ancient Warriors.”  
Gus replied instead of Spectra.  
“Yeah, right, Gus.”  
Volt didn’t believe him at all.  
“Too bad. I thought you were stuck on that garbage planet for good.”  
Shadow laughed like a hyena.  
“Nice to see you guys too.”  
Lync said.  
“Any news Mylene?”  
Spectra asked.  
Mylene visibly growled until a realization hit her.  
“What is she doing here? That traitor has no business being here. Explain this.”  
Mylene looked at Spectra.  
Volt was calm, while Shadow looked like an idiot.  
“Mira Fermin has joined the Vexos. Accept it or else.”  
“Damn Spectra, or should I say, Keith.”  
Hades chuckled inside his mind.  
“He’s right.”  
Mira replied.  
“Smart thinking there, Fermin. If you take it from me, the Bakugan Brawler Resistance is dead.”  
Shadow pretended to spell it out for her.  
Mira was in shock.  
“It’s history.”  
Shock was written everywhere on Mira’s face.  
Shadow showed her teammates, who were inside three separate capsules.  
Mira gasped. Colour left her face, while Shadow stood there laughing like a serial killer.  
“Not so tough, are they.”  
Shadow mocked.  
“And when the others get here, we will put them like that too.”  
Mira muttered things that only Spectra could hear.  
“It’s so obvious that she doesn’t want to be here, but I guess being with your brother is a perk.”  
Hades thought.  
They were on Vip seats like those in the Alpha city tournament.  
Spectra discreetly looked at Hades and then back at the arena.  
Dan and Baron got teleported here.  
Lights were turned on individually for them.  
It looked like a circus.  
“Spectra.”  
“You should have learned by now Dan Kuso that staying in your world and minding your own business is so much easier than suffering.”  
Mylene and Shadow left for the battle.  
The only people on the balcony were Spectra, Gus, Volt, Lync, and Hades.  
“If you have something to say, say it to us.”  
Mylene said.  
“Wish I brought popcorn.”  
“We’re here to stop your little Resistance for good.”  
Shadow added.  
“Those two remind me so much of two characters from a kids show on Earth. The name was Pokemon if I recall.”  
Hades relaxed for a bit until he saw Spectra leaving.  
Spectra saw Hades staring, but quickly ignored him and left.  
Hades continued watching the match.  
When the match ended, Hades followed the other members.  
“They destroyed Beta City’s Dimension Controller, and all of our prisoners have escaped. It is all your fault.”  
Mylene said, looking angry at Spectra and Mira.  
“No, it’s not.”  
Mira replied.  
“You took the enemy and looked at what happened.”  
Mylene ignored Mira’s reply directing her anger at Spectra.  
“Do you doubt me, Mylene? Be careful.”  
Hades didn’t choose a side and is observing from afar the room.  
“Actually, this is your fault, Mylene.”  
Gus blamed Mylene.  
“My fault?!”  
Mylene snapped.  
“Of course. You are the one who lost the brawl, yet you accuse Master Spectra.”  
“Ouch, harsh.”  
Mylene was holding her anger.  
Shadow was going crazy, throwing stuff.  
“I want a do-over.”  
“Chill out, freak.”  
Volt said.  
“Want to see the playback at your last battle?”  
Lync taunted Shadow.  
“Be quiet.”  
Shadow snapped at Lync.  
Spectra looked devilishly at the situation.  
Before anything escalated, any further Hades decided to leave.  
Unknown to Hades, Spectra followed him.  
Once they were alone, Spectra approached Hades first.  
“What do you want, Spectra?”  
Hades stopped, and Spectra did the same.  
“To know why you ditched Gus and me, and how did you get back here?”  
Hades chuckled.  
“We were together. I’m sure you noticed that the transporter on Earth was defective. I didn’t want that to happen, but it happened. As for me getting back here … Let’s say I have my ways.”  
Hades explained.  
“If that’s what you say.”  
Spectra said.  
“I see you don’t believe me. I can’t force you.”  
“Passive-aggressive, aren’t you.”  
“I’m always like that.”  
Hades replied.  
“I like your attitude. I was going to make an offer. Join Gus and me in the recreation of New Vestroia.”  
“Why do you make such offers when you don’t believe me?”  
“Because of your power. Combine that power with mine and Gus’s, and we will be unstoppable.”  
“And if I join you, how will that benefit me?”  
“He’s tricky.”  
Spectra started to get a headache, but didn’t show it.  
“You are going to rule alongside Gus and me. Not to mention your bakugan can become stronger.”  
“Now, we are talking. What do you say, Reaper?”  
Reaper was silent. This guy was giving so many different signals that it confused Reaper. Some were positive, others negative. For some reason, the positive were outweighing the negative.  
“Yes.”  
Reaper replied.  
“Good.”  
Spectra said.  
“We have a deal.”  
Hades shook hands with Spectra, and both of them left in their separate ways.


	9. Chapter 9

Hades was inside the library, reading some Vestal horror novels.  
"Why are you reading in situations like this now?"  
Reaper was puzzled.  
"I need to cleanse my mind and relax after everything that happened."  
"Hmm. I know that's not the only reason."  
Reaper was suspicious.  
"You are indeed right, Reaper."  
Hades continued to read.  
"Besides, the real reason is to blackmail Keith and catch him off guard. Nobody will suspect that I knew his identity before.  
Hades smirked behind the mask.  
"I see that you have a plan."  
Reaper said.  
Hades nodded and picked the books; he was reading.  
"Why are you taking them back?"  
Reaper referred to the books.  
"To finish them in my room, of course."  
"Right."  
Reaper replied.  
While going through the corridors of the base, Hades met a disturbed Mira. It looked like she was about to cry.  
"Hmm."  
Hades entered his room and locked the door.  
"I feel you are going into an existential crisis."  
Reaper was worried about Hades.  
"Why do I hate seeing people cry so damn much?"  
"I don't know, Reaper. Maybe, maybe not. It's like 'I want to help my target for blackmail's sister, but if I interact with her directly, she is somehow going to piece the puzzle together for my identity, word will spread to Spectra, and things are going to be even more strained than before.' I hate this."  
Hades said very fast, trying to catch his breath.  
"Please … Breathe."  
Reaper said slowly and from afar, not to piss Hades.  
He knew the person behind the mask, and when that person was like that, he had to be careful.  
"I'm breathing."  
Hades snapped at Reaper.  
There was a slight growl.  
"I better leave Hades alone for a bit."  
Reaper went to one of the corners in the room.  
Hades went to the bathroom and, for some reason, found a cute box with a lot of handkerchieves.  
"I have an idea."  
Hades went outside and looked around for people. Everything was clear. He tiptoed to Mira's door, put the box, and a note on top. He knocked loudly, and once he heard Mira coming, he returned to his room.  
Mira opened the door to see who the person was.  
"Nobody is here."  
She was about to close the door until she noticed a box and a note on top.  
"Who might leave that?"  
Mira thought.  
She picked the items and returned to her room.  
"What was that all about?"  
Wilda went near Mira.  
"I don't know Wilda. The note might say why."  
Mira opened the note.  
The note read:  
"I saw you passing by. You were sad. If you feel like crying, cry. Please don't hold it. Let your tears out. The more you bottle your emotions, the more you will be overwhelmed. That's not healthy. Here is a box with handkerchieves to ease your pain."  
"That's it."  
Mira asked, wondering why no one signed the note.  
"Whoever sent you those is thinking good."  
Wilda said.  
Mira nodded.  
"I can't believe you did that."  
Reaper said, surprised.  
"I don't believe myself either."  
"Maybe you have a soft spot for her."  
Reaper teased.  
"We used to be friends."  
"Oh. I didn't know that."  
Reaper was surprised.  
"Yeah."  
Blake said with nostalgia in her voice.  
"I apologize for bringing up sad memories."  
"No need to."  
Hades was about to read when a notification on his gauntlet was heard.  
"Notification from Spectra."  
Hades looked puzzled.  
"Yes."  
Hades replied.  
"In fifteen minutes, meet me on the battlefield."  
With that, the notification turned off.  
Hades glared at his gauntlet.  
"Glaring at the Gauntlet won't decide anything."  
"Like I didn't know."  
Hades was sarcastic.  
"And I'm pissed because I decided to read at this time, but I've got to go. I have no choice."  
Hades stood and left his room.  
"I'm here, Spectra. What was so urgent?"  
Hades said.  
"I need to test something."  
Spectra showed Helios.  
"If you wanted to brawl so badly, you could have said so."  
Hades thought.  
Hades typed the recording function on his gauntlet.  
"Ok."  
Hades showed Reaper.  
"Gate Card Set."  
Hades said.  
Purple spread through the battlefield.  
"Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan stand. Go Darkus Reaper."  
Spectra chuckled.  
"Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Pyros Cyborg Helios."  
Helios was surrounded by fire that soon disappeared.  
Hades quietly gasped.  
"It can't be. A hybrid. Alive one at that. Not even Kazarina managed to do that."  
Hades looked at the gs power.  
"We are equal in power. That will be tough."  
"Gate Card Open: Darkus Reactor."  
Darkness surrounded everything.  
300gs were added to Reaper. From 700gs, he went to 1000gs.  
"Double Ability Activate Darkus Double Slicer plus Shadow Dance."  
From 700gs, Cyborg Helios went to 500gs.  
From 1000gs, Reaper went to 1300gs.  
"I'm going to hit him with everything I got."  
Reaper attacked.  
Helios lost balance.  
"Reaper now."  
Hades said.  
Reaper physically attacked Helios, and now the two bakugans are in hand to hand combat.  
Both bakugans were struggling for dominance until Helios got the upper hand and kicked Reaper.  
Reaper nearly lost balance.  
"Playtime is over. Ability Activate Farbas."  
Helios's body was repairing itself from the damage and returned to its original 700gs.  
"Why do I feel like this went from level one to boss fight pretty quick?"  
Hades thought.  
"Now, with this Ability activated, Helios can recover from every attack and return to his original gs, whatever you throw on me will be useless."  
Spectra explained.  
"Seems right, but … you haven't seen everything, Spectra."  
Hades quietly chuckled behind the mask.  
"Ability Activate: Defuse Quaser."  
Reaper returned to his base 700gs.  
300gs were added to Helios. From 700gs, he went to 1000gs.  
"The tables have turned. Helios attack."  
Helios attacked Reaper.  
Reaper barely stood.  
"That's so cute, Spectra, but I can still try tampering with Helios system. This strategy might work."  
"Triple Ability Activate Shadow dance plus Shadow ground plus Sting."  
Helios lost 200gs. From 1000gs, he went to 800gs.  
From 700gs, Reaper went to 900gs.  
Reaper turned his body into a shadow mass and went underneath the ground.  
Helios tried to use his improved vision but didn't work, as according to that vision, Reaper was everywhere.  
"Helios, what are you doing?"  
Spectra was irritated.  
"I can't see."  
At this moment, Reaper possessed Helios from inside and started tamper with the system there.  
Reaper hit Helios twenty-five times from the inside.  
Helios was losing gs at a rapid pace.  
Helios's current gs were 300.  
"What's happening?"  
Spectra asked, annoyed.  
"When Sting is activated, Reaper's opponent loses 20 gs per hit, and since Reaper is not attacking from the outside, Helios's Farbas is useless."  
"WHAT?!"  
When Hades was explaining Helios was hit another three times.  
The gs lowered even further.  
From 300gs, he went to 240gs.  
Reaper expelled himself from Helios as everything started to burn from the inside.  
A safety protocol turned itself on.  
Helios was barely standing and returned to his ball form.  
Spectra's life gauge went to zero.  
Spectra glared, but then calmed down.  
Hades was becoming dizzy.  
"It seems you are much more powerful then you let people see."  
Spectra said while getting closer to Hades.  
Hades nodded.  
He didn't move much because the dizziness was slowly becoming a headache.  
"Now, you intrigued me even more."  
"And you are getting closer."  
Hades was more easily annoyed.  
Technically speaking, they weren't that close, but if Spectra made another step, things would be different.  
"I'm not even that close. Calm down."  
Spectra said, realizing something.  
"Don't tell me you are uncomfortable."  
"Who wouldn't be, genius?"  
Hades said.  
"Touche."  
Hades rolled his eyes.  
"Now, tell me what you want?"  
"I'm not going to tell it here. Meet me at midnight in front of my room."  
With that, Spectra left the battlefield.  
"Enough time to fix the damage on Cyborg Helios."  
"Reaper, you did well today."  
Hades complimented Reaper.  
Reaper bowed down in his ball form.  
"How did you manage to pinpoint Helios's weakness so fast?"  
"Simple. You know how machines work. If you break the outer layer, the insides are what make it work. Even if a machine is broken on the outside, it will continue working if the insides are intact, but if the insides are destroyed, no matter how new it looks, it won't work."  
Hades explained.  
"Wow."  
Reaper was amazed.  
"No wonder people feared you back then."  
Reaper was referring to her days as Faceless. Even if he wasn't present when this happened, the stories made him respect his brawler so much.  
Hades chuckled.  
"It wasn't for that, but thank you anyway."  
"I'm sure it played a role."  
Reaper said.  
"Maybe, maybe not. To be honest, I don't want to talk much about it. I will sleep. Wake me at 11:30 pm."  
Hades removed the mask and his boots and immediately fell asleep.  
"Wow, Blake must be very tired."  
Reaper whispered.  
11:30 pm came quickly, and Blake woke up.  
"Air."  
Blake said. The headache was gone.  
"You need to remove that mask more often."  
Reaper said, concerned.  
"I don't want people to know of my identity, especially Spectra."  
"Why are you referring to him like that? Don't tell me you are crushing on him?"  
"No way, Reaper. You start sounding like Pandora."  
"You deny it."  
Reaper continued.  
"No, I am not."  
Blake was frustrated.  
"Sure."  
Reaper didn't have it.  
"Drop the subject."  
Blake quickly brushed her hair and put the mask back on.  
"Let's go."  
Hades said.  
Hades knocked on Spectra's door.  
"Come in."  
Hades opened the door and saw Spectra sitting on his chair.  
"So?"  
"The reason I called you is to tell you about my plan for more details. As you know, I want to dethrone the prince and rewrite New Vestroia in away. In between those goals, I plan to create the Ultimate bakugan, powerful than the Dragonoid. For that to happen, we need to leave the Vexos."  
"Let me get this straight. You want me to leave the Vexos with Gus and you?"  
Spectra nodded.  
"When will that happen?"  
Hades asked.  
"I will inform you."  
Spectra replied.  
"Ok."  
Hades said about to leave the room.  
"Wait, before you leave, I would want to know with what to refer you? I mean, we are going to meet face to face more often after we leave the Vexos."  
Spectra explained.  
"From where did you get that sudden interest in knowing my real identity? You wear a mask too, wouldn't it be fair if you, the one who proposed the idea, remove the mask first?"  
Hades passive-aggressively stated  
Spectra smirked.  
"Now that you put it like that. … Ok. If that's what it takes to make you remove your mask, I will remove mine."  
Spectra said, removing his mask.  
"Here goes my plan. Well, fuck the plan."  
"After all, it was you, Keith."  
Hades said.  
"From where do you know my name?"  
Keith raised an eyebrow.  
Hades chuckled.  
"You will see."  
Hades said, slowly removing the mask. Purple hair fell everywhere, and cherry red eyes were illuminating the room.  
"It's been some time, Keith."  
Blake said.  
Keith was at a loss for words.  
"I know you are questioning everything right now. I am sure you are experiencing a lot of mixed emotions, both positive and negative. I'm not going to blame you."  
"But how? … How are you alive?"  
Blake chuckled.  
"I'm serious."  
Keith said.  
"I am about to explain. Remember the fire accident where they ruled out my parents' death. The accident happened because of a mistake in the calculations. They died in the fire, while accidentally tossing me inside the transporter, thinking they were going to save themselves. At the last second, the transporter worked and was teleported to Earth."  
Blake explained.  
Keith was shocked.  
"You were on Earth this whole time?"  
Keith raised an eyebrow.  
"Yes and no. It's a complicated story for another day."  
Keith was curious, but he wasn't going to be pushy.  
Blake diverted her eyes to the wall.  
"What happened when we went to that snowy part on Earth?"  
Keith wanted answers.  
"When we were shoved in that transporter… Let's say I have this."  
Blake showed his transporter card.  
"I didn't use it, but I presume that it may have reacted with the transporter. I know that you got a hold of the Resistance locations. I didn't do things to that extent. It's a weird chain."  
"That's most likely what happened."  
Keith said, surprised by Blake's deductive skills.  
Blake nodded.  
"Anything else?"  
Blake asked.  
"It still feels surreal meeting you again after thinking you were dead for a decade."  
"Is this surreal?"  
Blake went near him and kissed him.  
Keith was even redder than his red mask.  
Blake was about to pull apart when Keith put his hands around her waist and kissed her again.  
Then they pulled apart.  
"Now, you know."  
Blake put her Hades mask and left Keith blushing and trying to get used to the new reality.  
"You were saying."  
Helios teased Spectra about not being worked up for that girl.  
"Shut up."  
Hades was back in his room.  
"I see this didn't work according to the plan."  
"Not everything works according to plan, but to be honest, I tossed the plan at the beginning."  
Blake replied.  
"You what?!"  
Reaper shouted at her.   
"Not everything should go according to plan. Isn't that what you taught me."  
"I know, but I never imagined you to follow it literally."  
"Well, Reaper, expect the unexpected."  
"I guess."  
"Now, if you excuse me, my books are waiting for me."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N This will be my last upload for this week as I need to deal with some personal things, but I promise next week, March 16th, I will upload a new chapter. For now, I want to thank you guys for reading this story. I would be happy to know of your opinions so far, so please drop a review. I will appreciate it a lot.

Spectra, Gus, Mira, Lync, and Hades stopped at something that appeared to be a laboratory and a battlefield.  
For dramatic effect, Spectra turned on the lights.  
Mira and Lync squinted their eyes.  
Mira and Lync gasped.  
"What are these?"  
Mira asked.  
"These are the Elite Mechanical Bakugan that father and I were developing for Prince Hydron."  
"I forgot that Professor Clay was your father."  
"You're going to give those to Prince Hydron?"  
Mira questioned everything.  
"Hahaha. I better decided to keep the mechanical bakugans for myself. Soon I will convert the receptors, so they'll only respond to my command. With these and Helios, I will control and hold the most powerful combination of bakugan in the Universe. Even if he's fighting the Perfect Dragonoid, there's no way Helios can lose."  
Spectra laughed like a mad scientist.  
"I didn't expect less from you."  
Hades thought.  
"There is no one who will stand in my way. Soon they'll kneel before me. The Vexos, Prince Hydron, and even the King himself will bow. There will be no limit to my power. Hahaha."  
Mira looked sad.  
"Careful there."  
Hades thought.  
"Only a few more adjustments, and they'll be finished. Gus, Mira, take these."  
Mira let out a 'huh.'  
"Use them in battle, and I want you to bring me back the Data of Percival and Drago."  
"You want me to fight?"  
Mira was surprised.  
"Well, duh."  
Hades looked at Mira.  
"With all my respect, Master Spectra, I don't think it's safe to trust Mira."  
"Come to think of it, Gus does make sense."  
"Once again, you are questioning me, Gus."  
"It's just … I don't think it's smart."  
"She is none of your concern. Now activate the system."  
Spectra said.  
"Yes, sir."  
Gus said without bowing.  
The mechanical bakugan was transforming into their 'ball' forms.  
"That's magnificent. I've never seen anything like that."  
Hades looked mesmerized, behind the mask.  
"Take them and go. Dan Kuso and Ace will soon arrive."  
Shock was written all over Mira's face.  
Spectra gave a sign for Hades to go with him.  
Hades nodded.  
They went to a platform.  
Hades hid himself in the shadows while Spectra stood there.  
"This is unacceptable. My orders were clear. Spectra knew the Mechanical bakugans were for my use."  
Hydron complained.  
"There is nothing to worry about, Prince Hydron."  
"There you are."  
Prince Hydron said.  
"I simply gave your bakugan to Mira and Gus to test them for you. Besides, if the Battle Brawlers defeat them, they are not worth your time, are they, my prince."  
Spectra sounded convincing.  
"I suppose you are right. Guess, I can trust your judgment this time."  
With that, the Prince Hydron logged off.  
"Fool."  
Spectra chuckled.  
Hades left the shadows.  
"The temptation to rip the prince's head could be felt from apart."  
Hades said.  
"True."  
It was silent after that.  
"I'm sorry, Master Spectra, but Mira …"  
Spectra growled.  
"Forget Mira. She means nothing to me. We still have the ultimate weapon."  
Spectra pointed to another case with other mechanical bakugan traps.  
"This will be our little present to the Resistance and my sister, Mira Fermin."  
Spectra smirked.  
"It was obvious that this was going to happen from the beginning. Yet there is more hurt than anger in your voice."  
Hades looked at Spectra and then averted his attention somewhere else.  
By the time Hades looked at Spectra, Spectra was already gone.  
"Where did he go?"  
"Reaper, have you seen Spectra."  
"No."  
"Strange."  
Hades left the place and started roaming until he met Gus.  
"Gus?"  
"Follow me."  
Gus replied.  
The two were walking until they reached a gigantic "spaceship."  
"What's that?"  
"That's the Vestal Destroyer. Master Spectra told me to get you. I will tell you the rest once we are inside."  
Hades nodded and hopped.   
Today was going to be the last day with the Vexos.  
There was no turning back.  
"We are serious here for everything. That's all you have to know."  
"Is that so?"  
"Yes. I presume you are smart enough to know the rest."  
"Ok."  
Gus went on Vestal Destroyer's board.  
There was silence.  
Hades was getting bored and tried to guess what was happening.  
"Let me get this straight. We are here waiting for Spectra to fight Dan Kuso, and once there is an emergency, we are getting him back here."  
Gus was shocked.  
"How did you know that?"  
Gus asked, surprised.  
"I didn't know. I tried to guess. That's what I do when I get bored. Keeps my mind entertained."  
"Impressive."  
Gus replied.  
"Before you go back to pilot this thing, I noticed that you call Spectra, Master Spectra a lot. How come?"  
Gus smiled.  
"It happened not so long before I joined. I was the sixth one to join. That was a year ago. I was kicked out of my parents' house. I didn't know what to do and started to steal. That's when I met Vulcan. Then one day, when I was on the streets, there were ads for a Tournament, which was to recruit Vexos members. More specifically, Subterra brawler. I didn't want to go at first, but Vulcan convinced me. Fast forward, I somehow managed to get to the finals and faced Master Spectra. I lost, but I saw light in Spectra's words and became loyal."  
Gus was proud whenever he talked about Master Spectra.  
"I see."  
Hades said, noticing the tiny sparkles around Gus's eyes.  
"What about you? How did you decide to join the Vexos?"  
Gus was curious to know why.  
Hades didn't know where to start. It would be unfair if he didn't share.  
"It was a spontaneous decision. I came to New Vestroia again two years ago. At first it was ok, but slowly I got bored and this year was the final one I was going to put up with that boredom. One day I was walking in Alpha City, and an ad for the Alpha Tournament was playing. Then I signed up for the Tournament, and the rest is history."  
Hades said.  
Gus chuckled.  
"What's so funny?"  
Hades raised an eyebrow behind the mask.  
"You and I have some similarities."  
"Yeah."  
Hades replied.  
"I'm going back. I need to control this thing."  
Gus said.  
"I never imagined Gus to be so loose."  
Hades stared at the sky.  
"I hope you are doing well Spectra."  
Honestly, Hades didn't know with what to refer him. He was sure Spectra had a similar problem.  
Hades started to relax a bit until he saw some explosions from afar.  
"What the hell?!"  
Meanwhile, Spectra and Dan were fighting against each other.  
"Six Attributes Fusion Ability Activate: Ultimate Striker."  
Helios and Drago had the same 4400gs. Drago lost 1200gs making him 3200gs.  
"This shouldn't be happening, Helios. I'm ending this now, Dan."  
"Right, I'm bringing it now. Six Attributes Fusion Ability Activate: Ultimate partner."  
That evened out the gs between the two dragons.  
The battle was intense as there was destruction everywhere.  
Hades gasped behind the mask.  
"Last time I've seen such destruction was when I used to brawl in Gundalia."  
The battle wasn't going to an end as another set of explosions occurred.  
"Those explosions aren't happening from nothing. I bet someone controls them, and I have a guess who."  
Hades looked at Gus, who put the Vestal Destroyer on autopilot.  
Spectra got there. He looked unscratched from the battle.  
"I will always remember that you come for me, Gus."  
"It pains me to inform you of this information, but prince Hydron and the Vexos have abandoned New Vestroia. They plan to blame you for everything."  
Gus informed Spectra.  
"Did Mylene came up with that?"  
"Yes, Master Spectra."  
"Now Prince Hydron knows of our betrayal."  
"There is no way you and I can return to Vestal."  
Gus said, excluding Hades, for some reason. He was a new member of the Vexos and not known so much among the public. Also, unlike Spectra and him, Hades wore a full disguise. Nobody knew what he looked like without it, or what he sounded. Hades could be he or she, after all, or to be another race altogether.  
"Who cares? I never expected to return there anyway. Either way, is Hades here?"  
Spectra said.  
Gus pointed to one of the near windows and returned to his work.  
Spectra approached Hades.  
"I see that you didn't back out from our deal."  
"Why should I?"  
Hades replied, looking at the sky.  
"You had all the reasons and chances."  
Spectra added.  
"But I didn't."  
"I'm surprised you are calm about this."  
"It's not my first time to flee from something like that. I've been on the good side and the bad side and sometimes even both at the same time. My moral compass is fucked up. I don't feel any guilt right now at the moment."  
Spectra was intrigued by his friend and what she has done in the past. He was going to ask her another day.  
"We need to discuss some things."  
Spectra said, and Hades followed him.  
Hades entered the room, followed by Spectra, who closed it.  
Spectra removed his mask, and Hades did the same.  
"What do you want to discuss?"  
Blake asked.  
"I wanted to discuss some matters with you."  
"And those are?"  
Blake raised an eye at him.  
"About the masks. I'm sure you had this one in mind too."  
Blake nodded.  
"Good. We are going to refer to each other as our mask's name when we talk about serious matters, and when we are in private, I allow you to use my birth name. I will use your birth name too. Is that a deal?"  
"Yes, a good one at that."  
Blake replied.  
"Good. Your room is next to mine."  
Blake nodded and went there.


	11. Chapter 11

"What?!"  
Mylene was fuming.  
"You are saying that our new member Hades has left with the traitors."  
Mylene was angry.  
"Mylene, please calm down."  
Volt tried to calm her with little effect.  
"They've left. They are not worth it."  
Volt said what Mylene wanted to hear. He didn't hate Hades at all. He was one of the tolerable people around. Not to mention he was amazed and thankful when he managed to make Shadow unconscious. Those were the best minutes of his life.  
"I don't care. I'm glad he's gone."  
Mylene was pissed off and left the scene.  
Meanwhile, the three former Vexos members were sleeping.  
Blake was uneasy in her sleep.  
"Don't do that, Ophi."  
Blake muttered quietly in her sleep.  
"It's not worth it."  
"Don't."  
"Don't disappear."  
Blake continued muttering things in her sleep until a sensation like falling happened.  
Blake started sweating, and when she "landed," she woke up, breathing heavily.  
"What was that all about?"  
Blake said quietly with unsteady breath.  
"Don't tell me the Ancient bat has decided to tamper with my sleep."  
She thought.  
"Guh. My head hurts thinking about that. What's the time?"  
Blake checked on her portable laptop.  
"4: 00 am. Just great."  
Blake was sarcastic.  
"I won't be able to sleep for some time. Might as well be productive."  
Blake opened a chat with Pandora.  
Hades: Are you awake?  
Pandora: Yes?  
"That was a quick reply."  
Hades: I need you to do me a huge favor.  
Pandora: I'm all ears.  
Hades: Go to New Vestroia and teleport to my lab there. I need you to get the rare Gundalian bakugans and keep them safe with you as I'm unable too. I'm going to send you the coordinates and the passcodes for entry. But before you teleport to New Vestroia, can you go to a donut shop and get me the biggest box there and teleport it to me.  
Blake sent Pandora the files.  
Pandora: Girl, you are unbelievable. Luckily for you, I'm near a bakery so that the donut thing will be quick.  
Hades: Thank you, Pandy.  
Pandora: Don't mention it.  
Hades: Also, once I finish the donuts, I'm going to teleport it back to you.  
Pandora: Ok. I'm going to wait for your notifications.  
Blake closed the laptop and looked at the night sky.  
"The night sky is calming."  
In ten minutes, Blake's box of donuts arrived.  
Blake opened the box.  
"Twenty-eight donuts. Perfection in a box."  
There were seven different types – classic, chocolate, vanilla, white and brown chocolate, strawberry, with jam and cookie dough.  
Blake devoured everything and opened the laptop again.  
Hades: I'm finished. I'm sending you the box.  
Pandora: Wooooow, girl? When did you finish?  
Hades: You know I eat quickly.   
Pandora: Yeah, but THAT quickly. Girl, that's too fast, even for you.  
Hades: I'm sending you the box.  
Blake grabbed her teleportation card, which touched the box and sent it to Pandora's location.  
"The night sky is getting lighter. What time is it?"  
Blake grabbed her laptop to check again.  
"6:15 am. Two hours and fifteen minutes. Why is it getting lighter that early. Usually, it happens around 7:00 am. Either way, I didn't sleep, and I'm going to be functioning on donuts."  
Blake thought dressing up in her Hades outfit without the mask.  
There was a door opening.  
"Who is it – Keith or Gus?"  
There was a knock on the door.  
That startled Blake for a second.  
"Yes."  
Blake replied.  
"It's me."  
Just by the voice, Blake recognized Keith.  
"Ok. Are you with a mask or not?"  
"Without."  
Blake put her mask into her jacket's pocket and opened the door.  
"Good morning."  
Keith greeted.  
"Morning."  
Blake replied.  
They went to the kitchen.  
Keith started preparing some coffee.  
"I never took you for a morning person Blake."  
"I am not actually. Most of the time I sleep till 8-9 am, but today I couldn't sleep, so that's why I'm awake at much early."  
"I see."  
Keith said, sipping coffee in two cups.  
"Thank you, but what about Gus?"  
Blake drunk from her coffee.  
"Gus wakes up around the time I wake up, which is usually 6-7 am. If he is exhausted, it can go up to 8 am."  
"Interesting."  
Blake finished the rest of her coffee.  
"Yeah."  
Keith took big sips of his.  
There was a silence.   
Blake stood up and got a second cup of coffee.  
"I see you are a coffee lover."  
"Coffee makes me more alert during the day."  
"If you say so."  
Keith chuckles and looks at the time.  
"Gus should be soon awake."  
"Right."  
Blake grabbed her mask and put it on her face.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Putting my mask. I'm not in the mood to explain myself in the morning."  
Blake talked in her Hades voice, which was more androgynous, unlike her real voice, which was somewhat deep.  
"I never realized the difference."  
Keith commented and then put his mask.  
Gus came, making himself new coffee and something to eat.  
Once Gus finished, all of them went to do their work.


	12. Chapter 12

Spectra, Gus, and Hades teleported themselves to Vestal. There was shock, but was quickly brushed off.  
Spectra cut in line for a battle with Dan, which he ultimately lost.  
The moment the trio returned to the Vestal Destroyer, Spectra became bitter. Neither Gus and Hades dared to go near him.  
Hades was in his room and lost inside thoughts.  
"The upgrade wasn't enough as it seems, but you'll do better next time, Spectra."  
Hades chuckled.  
He was about to remove his mask until he heard a knock from the outside.  
"Yes."  
"It's me, Gus. Master Spectra has called us."  
Hades stood and opened the door where his mask met Gus's eyes.  
The two walked in silence until Spectra met them.  
Gus bowed.  
"What do you want us to do?"  
Hades asked.  
Spectra smirked.  
"I want you two to block every possible path to Vestal as I feel the Vexos are going for another try pretty soon."  
Gus and Hades quickly started working on it. The two finished soon, but it was yet to be revealed if this was going to be successful.  
Meanwhile, in the Mother Palace, Shadow was trying to teleport himself to Vestal, but without success.  
"Why am I still here?!"  
He shouted.  
At that moment, king Zenoheld was taking tiny sips of his tea.  
"What's this? Why did the transport fail? This should have been easy."  
A figure in all black appeared on a holographic screen.  
"Yes, sir. Normally it would be, but it seems our transport signal path is being jammed from a transmission from the Vestal Destroyer."  
The figure finished explaining.  
"Spectra, no doubt. He is such a thorn on my side."  
King Zenoheld grunted.  
"Our signal interference was successful. We've managed to block the Royal Palace from transporting anyone abroad to Vestal."  
Gus said.  
Hades was surprised as there was a bit skeptical if this was going to work or not.  
"Excellent news. Now I can battle Dan without any interruptions from Zenoheld of the Vexos. I will be the one to defeat Drago, and nobody will get in my way."  
"Easy there Spectra. First upgrade Helios and then brawl so that the results won't be like earlier today."  
Hades chuckled in his mind while Gus nodded towards Spectra.


	13. Chapter 13

Spectra teleported himself back to the Vestal Destroyer.  
Hades stood near the window.  
"Where's Gus? He's gone."  
Spectra looked around.  
"He went to fight Volt."  
With that, Hades left Spectra alone.  
Meanwhile, somewhere else, Gus and Volt were brawling.  
"Ability Activate: Eraser."  
Hexados nullified Boriates's ability.  
"So much of your big strong Open Shield Volt. If you want your Brontes back, you have to fight him."  
Gus mocked Volt.  
"You won't be satisfied until I hurt him back, will you."  
Volt glared back.  
"If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about hurting Brontes. It's time to show you the full evolved power of Haos Brontes."  
"Ability Activate: Wizard Proxy."  
Brontes started laughing crazily and, at the same time, waving his hand fast.  
There was light purple and yellow light around Brontes.  
Volt growled from anger, while at the same time trying to shield his eyes from the light.  
"Ability Activate: Prometheus Canon."  
Gus chuckled.  
"I don't think you have the guts to crush your old friend."  
Brontes laughed again.  
Volt growled.  
"Fire."  
Volt shouted. He didn't want to do that, but he had no choice.  
Gus gasped.  
The canon was about to blast Brontes, but instead, Hexados revealed himself taking the shot.  
Gus glared as his life gauge was close to zero.  
"Why did you go and attack Hexados if Brontes was the one who activated the ability."  
Gus shouted at Volt.  
"I figured that Brontes was hiding behind Hexados while making it look like he was the one activating it."  
Volt explained.  
Gus was surprised, but then it hit him.  
"Of course, you used to battle together. I should have known you would remember that trick, but will it be useful with the new ability."  
Gus smirked.  
"Ability Activate: Atmosphere. Go Brontes."  
Brontes laughed. Weird boomerang looking spheres started attacking Boriates.  
"How is that for a counter-attack. Think you can keep up. Huh, Volt."  
Gus taunted Volt.  
Volt was gritting teeth and growling.  
Brontes continued attacking Boriates with the weird-looking spheres.  
"I think I figured Gus's strategy. By the next round, I promise to defeat you, and then you'll be mine again, Brontes."  
Volt thought.  
"Attack Boriates."  
The moment Boriates attacked, Brontes disappeared.  
"Where did he go?"  
Volt looked around.  
Gus chuckled.  
"Too bad, Boriates can't keep up."  
Volt was furious.  
"The problem with you Vexos it that you became lazy. It's not enough to be the best. You must always try to better yourself and learn to evolve. That's what I did to Brontes. I forced him to evolve and now look at it."  
Gus jeered.  
"You are a monster. You tortured him."  
Volt made a pause.  
"Ability Activate: Tempest arrow."  
Boriates shot.  
"Noooo."  
Gus screamed.  
"You're right. It's not about being the best. It's about knowing you are the best."  
Volt stated.  
There was silence.  
"Do you need a little break pal. Maybe go and curl your hair."  
Volt roasted Gus.  
"Gate Card open: Battle Release."  
There was light everywhere.  
"The Command card battle release holds all battles and forces each of the bakugan to return to their sides."  
Volt explained.  
"Ability Activate: Block Gates."  
Brontes summoned a scythe and destroyed Volt's gate card.  
"What?!"  
Volt screamed.  
"How dare you pretend to be fighting for the life of your former bakugan when you are the one serving their guaranteed extinction with the creation of the BT system, huh. Perhaps it's time to reconsider loyalties, Volt. If you care so deeply about Brontes, you must have doubts about Zenoheld's plans for the bakugan. Join us. We could use someone with your abilities. Master Spectra will be pleased to welcome you."  
Gus tried exploiting Volt's vulnerability, while at the same time trying to sound like a saint.  
Volt knew that Gus was trying to get under his skin, and unfortunately for him, it was working. Volt tried to fight those thoughts out of his head.  
"I'm a Vexos. Not a filthy traitor like you and that coward Spectra."  
"Hmm. Very well. I will show no mercy. Let's go, Brontes."  
Brontes attacked Boriates.  
"This is the end. Double Ability Activate: Shining Nightmare plus Bright Glow."  
Brontes continued to attack Boriates.  
Volt wasn't having it and called an ability to aid Boriates.  
"You think you have a chance of defeating us with pathetic weapons like that. Think again."  
Brontes attacked and defeated Boriates, making him return to his ball form.  
Volt lost half of his life gauge.  
"It's over. There's nothing left here for you to win. You may as well give up. The Brontes you once knew is long gone."  
Volt growled.  
"Gate Card Set."  
Brown light surrounded everything.  
"Here we go, Haos Brontes. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan stand."  
"You may have changed his alter appearance, but inside he is the same as before. Come on Boriates. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan stand."  
"He threw you away like garbage Brontes. Let's make him pay."  
Gus said sadistically.  
"Ability Activate: Magic Dice."  
Light was forming in Brontes's hands until it revealed a golden dice cube that landed on four, and as a result, a lightning struck Boriates.  
"Boriates, your power level. Ability Activate: Element flow."  
Brontes's magic dice landed on six, creating a shield that reflected Boriates attack.  
"What happened? Consecutive ability activation?"  
"That's right. A consecutive death attack."  
Brontes attacked Boriates.  
"When releasing those attacks are fatal to the bakugan"  
Volt snarled.  
"No worries. If Brontes gets weak, I can always make him evolve again."  
Gus stated, casually pretending not to be a serious matter.  
Volt frowned.  
"Ability Activate: Prometheus Canon."  
Gus chuckled.  
"Gate Card open: Land pressure."  
Boriates fell on the ground.  
"Say goodbye to your Brontes. Ability Activate: Trance Rapture Illusion."  
Brontes started punching Boriates.  
"Brontes, stop it. That's not you. Your heart isn't like that. I'm sorry, I should have protected you. Please stop. I'm sorry."  
Volt was sad and close to cry.  
"Don't worry about his heart. It is long gone."  
Gus calmly said.  
"I failed him. I would give anything to go and save it in that day."  
Volt quietly said.  
Brontes continued punching Boriates until he was back to ball form.  
Volt's life gauge went to zero.  
Volt fell on his knees.  
"Forgive me, Brontes."  
With that, his entire body fell to the ground.  
"Why would you risk your life to save a lowly bakugan like that. I don't understand you, Volt.  
And with that, Gus teleported back to the Vestal Destroyer, leaving Volt alone.  
"You've returned. What happened with Volt?"  
Spectra asked.  
"I'm sorry, Master Spectra, but Volt had no desire to leave the Vexos."  
"Oh well. At least you tried."  
Gus nodded and looked at the Brontes ball, tossing him somewhere.  
Before Gus left, he decided to ask a question.  
"By the way, Master Spectra, where is Hades?"  
“Running some personal errands.”  
Spectra answered.  
-Flashback-  
Hades entered Spectra’s room.  
"Spectra, I need to go for a bit. There are some personal errands I need to do on Vestroia."  
Hades said.  
“I see.”  
Spectra was contemplating whether or not he should stop Hades, but at the decision not to. Hades could fend for himself.  
“One more thing Spectra. You can tell Gus that I am a girl by accidentally slipping it. It’s about time he knew me a bit like you.”  
Spectra was surprised.  
"Are you sure you want this?"  
Spectra raised an eyebrow.  
“Just do it. I count on you to make a believable lie on how you found out.”  
With that, Hades left, and Spectra sighed.  
-End of Flashback-  
“I hope he doesn’t ditch us, but that’s beside the point. Why do you trust him so much?”  
Gus explained, not happy with Hades’s absence.  
“I know she won’t.”  
Gus was confused. Did he hear the sentence, right?  
"Did I hear this, right, sir?"  
Gus asked with big shocked eyes.  
Spectra nodded.  
“Did you know that from the whole start?”  
“You can say it like that.”  
Spectra answered with a very subtle smile.  
"Even if you weren't in the Vexos for long, I could tell that you weren't what you presented Hades. There were moments where your girlish mannerisms were showing, but one must look extremely to notice them."  
Gus was silent. This new information was a one hundred and eighty-degree change of events. He excused himself and left.  
Spectra looked at the sky.  
"Be careful, Blake, in whatever you are doing."  
Hades was in New Vestroia. He and Pandora made appointments to meet there to brawl like the old times.  
“I see you managed to arrive.”  
Pandora said.  
“Likewise.”  
Hades replied, stepping out of the shadows.  
“We haven’t brawled in two years against each other. I’m curious to see your current power.”  
Pandora said.  
The stepped forward, nodding at the same time. After that, the girls removed what they considered masks.  
In Pandora's case, it was her black glasses that revealed eyes with slit pupils like a snake. As for Hades, there was a whole face reveal.  
Pandora grabbed a gauntlet from her jacket.  
“Gauntlet power strike.”  
Both girls shouted.  
“Gate Card Set.”  
Greenlight surrounded the area.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Ventus Blickazard.”  
A Bakugan that looked like a failed Frankenstein project appeared. The bakugan had a humanoid looking body for the most part except for his arms, feet, and head. His feet looked similar to buffed up chicken legs. His arms imitated wings identical to a harpie. His head looked like a combination between a lizard and chicken with the addition of a cherry red Mohawk.   
Blickazard stood at 650gs.  
“Who’s ready to rumble?”  
The bakugan flew in every direction in the air.  
Blake chuckled.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Darkus Reaper.”  
Reaper made a majestic appearance, standing at 700gs.  
“It seems like we have a tiny difference in power but not for long. Ability Activate: Dagger Feathers.”  
200gs were added to Blickazard.  
Blickazard went from 650gs to 850gs.  
200gs were subtracted from Reaper.  
Reaper went from 700gs to 500gs.  
“Blick, attack.”  
Blickazard went into attack mode with his wings getting harder and sharper. Two feathers dropped on the ground, which lead to immediate rain of feathers in each direction.  
The feathers were so fast that even the most trained ninja wouldn’t be able to dodge them.  
"Right off the bat, as usual, Pandy."  
Reaper groaned in pain.  
“I’ve got to do something.”  
“Ability Activate: Shadow Dance.”  
Reaper’s body turned into a big mass of shadows.  
Reaper returned to his original 700gs.  
200gs were subtracted from Blickazard. From 850gs, he returned to his original 650gs.  
"I see that you used data from the Gundalian bakugans you gave me not so long ago, Blake."  
“You returned the battle to square one. Not a big difference.”  
Pandora grinned.  
“That’s what you think. Reaper attacked.”  
Blickazard tried to dodge Reaper's attack, but one can never avoid the shadows. Once Reaper caught Blickazard in a corner in the air, he punched him hard, sending him to the ground.  
He transformed back into his original form.  
Usually, Shadow Dance could last for the rest of the round, but it's possible to revert to solid form again by will.  
There was a light earthquake, but both girls ignored it.  
Reaper summoned his scythe and started attacking Blickazard.  
Blickazard was dodging his attacks. He wouldn’t let Reaper win.  
"Not today, hun."  
Blickazard said.  
"We are not married for you to call me, hun."  
Reaper replied.  
Blickazard flew high in the sky.  
“Ability Activate: Compressed air.”  
300gs were added to Blickazard. From 650gs he went to 950gs  
Blickazard started breathing the air in the surrounding area, taking away valuable oxygen.  
Blake started to get dizzy with the lack of air.  
The same applied to Reaper.  
The pressure from the attack was tremendous, and he couldn't do much.  
“I can’t.”  
And Reaper returned to his ball form.  
Blake’s life gauge dropped in half.   
The air quickly became breathable again.  
Pandora was grinning like a child, while Blake was looking like an older person close to their death bed.  
“I see you’ve been training too, huh Pandy.”  
“I can see you have become stronger from the last time.”  
Pandora didn't comment on anything and continued to have a child-like grin.  
Blake chuckled.  
“In that case.”  
“Gate Card Set.”  
Purple surrounded the area.  
“Eh. Warn me next time when we start the second round.”  
Pandora pouted.  
Blake giggled.  
This behavior wasn't typical for her, but she was going to use the situation and tease Pandora so that she could taste a bit of her medicine.  
“Huh.”  
Pandy knew what Blake was doing, and she isn't going to let her get under her skin.  
“Anyway. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Darkus Reaper.”  
"How dare you use my tactic against me. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Ventus Blickazard."  
“Double Ability Activate: Double Darkus Slicer plus Sting.”  
300gs were added to Reaper. From 700gs, he went to 1000gs.  
Reaper attacked Blichazard before Blickazard had a chance to attack him.  
Blickazard couldn’t escape Sting and continued being hit.  
Blickazard was hit ten times, making him lose solid 200gs. From 650gs, he went to 450gs.  
Pandora was silent.  
Reaper continues to hit Blickazard without thinking.  
Blake looked at her puzzled until it hit her.  
“Reaper, stop attacking immediately.”  
Reaper was about to make his twelfth hit.  
Blickazard lost the whooping amount of 220gs from his already low gs, making him 230gs.  
Pandora chuckled darkly.  
“Fusion Ability Activate: Free Sky.”  
Blickazards’s gs skyrocketed as he went from barely 230gs to 1000gs.  
Blake was shocked, while Pandora grinned from satisfaction.  
“The Fusion Ability Free Sky can be activated when Blickazard has lost 400gs or more. Consider it a single power booster. Unfortunately, this card can only be used once during the entire brawl, and I plan to win this brawl. It's over, Blake."  
Pandora said seriously in a lowkey jester-like way.  
Blake smiled.  
"Dear Pandy, you have so much to learn. Gate Card Open: Darkus Reactor."  
Everything was turned dark, but still manageable for seeing.  
200gs were added to Reaper. From 700gs, Reaper went to 900gs.  
"Now. Triple Ability Activate: Darkus Infection plus Shadow Dance plus Sting."  
Everything turned extremely dark from that point onwards.  
Blickazard's ability was nullified, returning him to 650gs.  
Then 200gs were lost because of Shadow Dance, making him go to 450gs.  
“Again.”  
Pandora groaned.  
“Reaper attack.”  
Reaper hit Blickazard several times and finally knocking him out.  
As a result, Pandora lost her entire life gauge.  
"Wow, Blake. You've gotten even stronger since last time."  
"You too, Pandy. Today's brawl was enjoyable. Right Reaper."  
“Yes. Today was fun. What do you think Blickazard?”  
Reaper looked at Blickazard.  
“We should do it again another time.”  
Both girls shook hands, as Blake wasn’t the biggest hug lover, and picked their discarded items.  
Pandora put her glasses and teleported somewhere on Earth.  
Blake was staring at her mask, blankly questioning about things in her life.  
Reaper noticed something wasn’t right and was about to ask her until she spoke.  
“I don’t know.”  
She put her mask and teleported both of them back to her room in the Vestal Destroyer.  
She removed her mask again, tossing it on her desk, and nearly crashed her body on the floor, but she didn't. She knew someone had caught her, and she had an idea who, but she was too tired to open her eyes.  
Spectra looked at her unconscious body and put it on her bed.  
After he made sure she was ok, he left for his room.


	14. Chapter 14

Blake was lying in her bed, wide awake, staring at the night sky. She couldn't sleep like most time, but this time there was something different. There was certain calmness in her mind. It's like she managed to sleep peacefully even for a bit. A lot of thoughts were running around her head. She questioned recent events and her moral compass.  
Was it the decision to join Spectra the best? Was it because of his questionable goal, or was it because she missed him and wanted to be with him. She didn't know, but she was the last person to comment on something like this, not after all the things she has done in the not so distant past.   
There was another thought that tried to creep in her mind. Did she start to feel something more towards him?  
Blake groaned.  
“Why is it so complicated?”  
She was fed up with her thoughts and decided to go to the kitchen to make herself some tea.  
She went there expecting to be alone, but there was someone else there too.  
“Keith.”  
The blond guy rose when he heard his name.  
“Blake. Why aren’t you sleeping?”  
“The same could be asked to you too.”  
Keith chuckled.  
“Touche.”  
There was some silence.  
Blake went to the counter and opened a box full of different tea.  
“I’m going to make myself some tea. Do you want some?”  
Blake broke the ice.  
“Sure.”  
Blake nodded, getting an electric kettle, water, and teabags. She put the water waiting for it to boil and after it boils the teabags. She waited for a bit, and the tea was ready. She got two mugs and poured the tea in them. She then gave one of the cups to Keith.   
“Thanks.”  
“You are welcome.”  
Blake quickly took a sip.  
"That's the second-best thing to do in those late hours."  
Blake said, looking at her cup.  
Keith took a sip too.  
"And what's the first, then?"  
Keith asked.  
“Midnight snacking.”  
Blake took another sip.  
Keith lightly chuckled.  
“Of course.”  
“What’s so funny?”  
Blake asked.  
“Nothing. You haven’t changed in some aspects.”  
Keith answered.  
Blake rolled her eyes.  
“You’ve changed.”  
“How so?”  
Keith teased her.  
“I don’t know how to explain it, but you’ve changed.”  
Blake said, looking Keith straight into the eyes.  
“If you think so.”  
Keith finished his tea.  
“Anyway.”  
Blake yawned. She didn’t realize she was getting tired.  
“You should go to bed.”  
Keith suggested.  
“I’m not tired.”  
Blake said.  
“Your body language says otherwise.”  
Keith replied.  
"Seriously, Keith, I'm not tired."  
Blake assured him.  
“Why are you so passive-aggressive about this?”  
“I have sleep problems.”  
There was silence.  
“What kind of?”  
Blake didn’t want to explain it to him as she feared he would call her crazy.  
“It’s complicated.”  
“You can explain it to me. I am not going to judge you.”  
Blake calmed down. There was a fight going on inside her mind. One part wanted to keep it to herself and the other wanted to let it out. In the end, she sighed and decided to choose the second option.  
"We should sit because before I tell you the reason, I will need to give you some context, and that will take some time."  
“That’s the first time you are going to tell me something in detail about you, Blake.”  
“I know. Consider yourself special as I’m not willing to share a lot about me with people.”  
Keith nodded.  
“I’m going to start from the beginning. You know about the reason how I survived and my appearance on Earth, so I will skip them. After I arrived on Earth, I was unconscious, but luckily a girl and her mother found me. I was adopted in their big family, but it turns out they weren’t your typical family. They were Gundalians. There was also a Neathian and another Vestal other than me. ”  
“I’ve heard of those two races somewhere.”  
"They may be in different dimensions from Vestal, but they are infamous for their wars."  
“Yeah. I remember one time a TV Vestal channel that specialized in Inter galaxy relations covered some things about those planets, but it was a short segment of three minutes, so I don't remember much."   
“There are channels like that in Vestal?”  
Blake was surprised.   
“Yes, but you wouldn’t know as you were on Earth at that time. If you want to watch such channels, you have to pay a bit more in your monthly subscription.”  
“I see.”  
Blake replied.  
“That aside, please continue.”  
“After we met up, it turns out that the family had bakugan too. Some of us then went to Gundalia, because of unfinished family business. Fast forward, I found my second bakugan there. Things happened that I'm not willing to share now. Shortly a bakugan found me telepathically. It turns out it was an ancient bakugan. Much older than the Ancient Warriors combined. Fast forward, a major battle happened, and this ancient bakugan either lost its own life or got stuck between dimensions. There are moments where the bakugan's spirit makes contact with me through my dreams or just straight out telepathic talking for hours long. The reason that leads to my sleeping problems when I try to sleep and when I'm sleeping."   
“Wow.”  
Was all Keith said. He was surprised and felt bad for Blake. It was apparent there were chopped up moments, but he wasn't going to push further.  
“That sums up some things.”  
Blake said, sounding a bit tired. Now she had to sleep.  
“Speaking of sleep, I feel sleepy.”  
Blake stood up and stretched her arms.  
“That’s good.”  
Keith smiled.  
“Yeah. Are you going to sleep too?”  
“I don’t think so. I need to finish something on my own.”  
Blake was going to ask about Gus, but stopped herself.  
“Don’t overwork yourself then.”  
With that, Blake went to her room, finally ready to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Blake was fidgeting in her sleep. Something was bothering her mind, and with each passing second, it got worse.  
She felt she fell somewhere and opened her eyes. She knew the place – void.  
Whenever she woke there, her previous bakugan appeared. The bakugan either talked face to face or was just a voice, but this time it was different as the bakugan stood in one place, not moving the slightest inch.  
"Why is she constantly dragging me here?"  
A bright light appeared that slowly died down. After the light died down, a humanoid female bakugan appeared. The bakugan had pastel lavender skin and wore a tight black v-shaped bodysuit with purple accents. The bodysuit started sleeveless with a sleeve looking around the bicep area on both arms. The sleeves started skintight and ended very loose to the point of covering both hands. The bodysuit also had a partial skirt from behind that ended similarly like bat wings. Her wings, on the other hand, were a combination of a fallen angel's and peacock – mainly black with sickly green and purple accents that made pattern similar to a peacock's tail. The female bakugan had a mask around her face minus the nose and mouth. The mask also had horns. And as for shoes show wore tight mid -thigh-high boots with some sickly green accents.  
"What do you want, Ophelia?"  
Blake asked, annoyed.  
The bakugan was silent.  
Even if she lacked or had hidden eyes behind the mask, Blake could feel Ophelia's judgmental and disappointed look on her.  
"You are giving me the silent treatment, aren't you."  
Blake was irritated.  
Silence.  
"Fine by me if you don't talk. It will be less headaches for me."  
Ophelia stood unfazed.  
"Don't you dare look at me like nothing has happened! Thanks to you, I have sleep problems, headaches. I constantly feel tired and annoyed because of you. Just pass on already and stop annoying me."  
Blake screamed at Ophelia.  
Ophelia was silent and with the same expression as before.  
"Go away."  
Blake glared at her.  
After what she said, Ophelia disappeared.  
The next day when Hades woke up and was about to go to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee, Gus stopped him.  
"What do you want, Gus?"  
Hades asked with the distorted mask voice, forgetting to turn it off.  
"Save your efforts. I know what you are."  
Hades realized the mistake and turned off the voice button.  
"My apologies."  
Even without the masked voice, Hades still had a deeper voice than an average female.  
"Did you pretend to turn off the mask just now?"  
"No. That's how I sound. The mask is just a lowering amplifier."  
There was silence.  
"Anyway, if you excuse me, I need my morning coffee."  
Hades said and went to the kitchen.  
Hades removed the mask partially around the mouth for speaking.  
"Even if the voice function on the mask is turned off, he still thought it was your voice."  
Reaper laughed, while Hades was pouring a second cup of coffee.  
"Oh, well."  
Hades quickly finished the second cup.  
Ten minutes later, Hades had finished another three cups.  
"Don't you think you have drank a little too much?"  
Reaper asked a bit worried.  
"Define 'too much' Reaper."  
Hades simply answered.  
Spectra and Gus arrived.  
Spectra went to the fridge to get some food, while Gus quickly got to his seat, looking judgmentally at Hades. Hades pretended not to see it and left for his room.  
When Hades entered his room, Reaper reappeared.  
"You need to sort things out with Gus soon."  
"I know, but it won't be today."  
Hades said, checking some stats on his laptop.  
"Perfect."  
Hades chuckled in his mind.  
After that, he decided to close his laptop and return to Spectra and Gus.  
He left his room again walked to the arena, as he had a feeling those two would be there.  
Hades walked till he reached the Arena. As he expected, those two were there.  
Spectra nodded at Hades's presence, while Gus completely ignored him as he was typing commands on the computer there.  
"What now?"  
Hades decided to ask.  
"You'll see."  
Spectra answered, looking forward.  
Hades decided not to ask.  
"It's ready, Master Spectra."  
Gus bowed.  
Spectra nodded.  
Hades questioned what was going on.  
Seconds later, a body started to materialize.  
"What?! Where am I?"  
Dan looked panicked.  
"Don't I get a hello. Where are your manners? I expected better from the leader of the brawlers. Sorry about the smashing grab, but I didn't think you'd come willingly."  
Spectra taunted Dan.  
The trio walked forward.  
"I trust the transport was painless. I did my best to be gentle."  
Gus looked at him, arrogantly.  
"So that happened, huh."  
Hades thought.  
"Gus, Spectra, and Hades."  
Dan said.  
"You got a nerve taking us against our will. What do you want?"  
Before Dan could say anything further, Gus started yelling at him like a lawyer defending his client.  
"Silence. How dare you speak like that to Master Spectra?"  
Spectra didn't care and stopped Gus from saying anything further with a hand gesture.  
"I swear sometimes, Gus sounds like an overgrown chihuahua."  
"Just relax. Why get hung up on manners. We should be discussing the real reason they are here. The Perfect Core Energy that Drago possesses."  
Spectra said.  
"It means the Perfect Core Energy that's about to become mine."  
Helios added a further explanation.  
"I don't think Dan's that dense, but ok, Helios."  
"Try it, Helios."  
Drago said.  
"Ha. It's kind of funny we should meet like this. We were all just talking about you guys."  
"Oh."  
Spectra smirked.  
"We want you to show us where the Mother Palace is. Take us there. We'll fight Zenoheld and the Vexos together."  
Dan declared with his speech.  
"Did you hit your head?"  
Hades said.  
"Us working together with you? Are you crazy?"  
Gus said.  
For once, he and Hades were on the same page.  
"They're just stalling because they are too afraid to battle us."  
Helios said.  
"Be quiet, Helios. Let him speak."  
Drago interrupted him.  
"What did you say?"  
Helios looked like he was about to battle Drago even in his ball form.  
"In case you hadn't noticed Dan, I don't exactly play well with others, and the brawlers would be the last people I partner with."  
"Harsh."  
"Mira told me that you wanted to destroy Zenoheld."  
"Huh, did she now. It's a little more complicated than my dear sister thinks, I'm afraid."  
Spectra carefully choose his words.  
"Huh."  
Dan looked at Spectra, confused.  
"My one true goal is to create a completely evolved living organism, unlike anything the world has seen. My dream, my mission is to create the Ultimate bakugan."  
Spectra said with passion and determination in his voice.  
"Hmm."  
"Say what?!"  
Dan sounded shocked and disgusted.  
"It's true. The Ultimate bakugan being will be more powerful and glorious than anything that has come before. I will be the Ultimate bakugan, and all will bow down to me. The only thing left to do to fulfill my destiny is to take the Core energy from you, Drago."  
Helios explained.  
"So there you have it, my little plan."  
Spectra finished his explanation.  
"So that's your entire plan. You've withheld some important information from me, but then again, I withheld information about myself. Wait a second. I think I have an idea."  
"A bakugan that mighty to exist. Do you think it's possible, Drago?"  
"I don't know, but meddling with the natural order of things can never end well. Spectra's actions will have consequences."  
"Just hang on a second. This ultimate creation of yours that you've been talking about … it's still bakugan, right. If that's true, then, when the BT system is activated, it will be just as deadly to him as all of the other bakugan."  
Spectra let out a 'huh' when a realization hit him.  
"You can't just stand by and let it happen. It would be horrible."  
Dan tried to play with Spectra's emotions to convince him to help them.  
"You've resorted to manipulation, huh."  
"Help us! Together we can stop the Vexos."  
Dan screamed at him.  
"Together."  
Drago added.  
"You may have a valid point, but I'm not just going to roll over for you, Dan. We both have something the other wants, so why not put it to a duel."  
"A duel."  
"Dan has a point, not going to lie."  
"Helios vs. Drago. If we lose, we are taking you to the palace without delay."  
Spectra put on his gauntlet.  
"For real?"  
Dan was surprised.  
"Sure, but if I win, then you will surrender the perfect core energy to me."  
"Are you serious?"  
Dan was shocked at the turn of events.  
"Dan."  
Drago tried to calm Dan down.  
"That's a fair way to decide. You have no right to complain about."  
"What's wrong? Afraid you'll lose Drago."  
Helios said.  
"What do you say, Dan?"  
"I say let's get it done."  
Dan prepared his gauntlet too.  
"You're going down, Helios."  
"Gauntlet power strike."  
Spectra and Dan said at the same time.  
Time stopped.  
"Gate Card Set."  
There was a red light everywhere.  
"Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand."  
"I'm ready to destroy you, Drago."  
Hades and Gus were preparing the canister.  
"I want to beat him by myself."  
Helios declared.  
"Don't be crazy."  
Gus tried to argue with Helios.  
"Stay out of the way, you two. This victory will be mine alone."  
Helios declared.  
"Are you still yapping? Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Pyros Cross Dragonoid."  
Helios started the battle with a punch.  
Helios's gs were increasing while Drago's were decreasing.  
"I'm going to savor every moment of this."  
Helios continued punching Drago.  
Drago groaned from the pain.  
"Get up. I'm not done with you yet. Smile."  
Helios punched again.  
"Helios has gotten stronger since last time."  
Hades chuckled inside his mind.  
"Man, he is so powerful."  
Dan said, looking at an ability card.  
"Dan, not yet."  
Drago said, defending himself from Helios's physical attacks.  
"Didn't you hear what Dan said earlier. If the BT system goes fully operational, that will mean death for all bakugan. How can you stand there and continue to fight me when you know the horrible truth?"  
Drago said.  
"That has nothing to do with me."  
"What?!"  
Drago was angry at what Helios said.  
"All I care right now is destroying you, Drago."  
Helios had the upper hand.  
"I won't rest until you're finished."  
Drago was in pain.  
"Now, Spectra."  
Helios looked at Spectra, who was smirking and ready to comply with his wishes.  
"Ability Activate: Ragnarok Cannon."  
Helios shoots from his chest.  
His gs were increasing while Drago's were decreasing.  
"Ability Activate: Superior Shield."  
Helios's attack was nullified.  
"He blocked the cannon."  
Spectra said, shocked.  
Helios returned to his base gs while Drago had 900gs.  
"Superior Shield is an ability that nullifies the opponent's ability and 200g were added to Drago."  
Dan explained.  
"You may think you got me, but you're wrong."  
Helios stated.  
"Gate Card Open: Flat Power."  
Drago's gs decreased, returning him to his base ones.  
"Why is my power level gone back down?"  
"Flat Power returns the power levels of all bakugan to the battlefield back to their base levels. Let's go, Helios."  
The two bakugans were fighting again.  
"They appear to be equally powerful."  
Gus commented.  
"It seems that the bakugan's powerful will to survive has allowed them to evolve infinitely constantly bettering themselves, which means that the only way Helios will be able to beat Drago is …"  
Spectra couldn't finish his thought.  
A sudden thought entered his mind.  
"Interesting."  
Hades looked at Spectra for a bit.  
"Hmm."  
"Ability activate: Shooting Dragon."  
Drago's gs increased while Helios's stood the same.  
Drago attacked Helios, making him return in his ball form.  
Spectra's life gauge was nearly zero.  
Spectra smirked.  
"Drago, I'm not done with you yet. Spectra, let's roll again right away."  
Helios said without opening his ball form.  
"I don't know Helios. If you lose again …"  
"I'm not going to lose. I altered my biology so that I would evolve in such a way that I can't lose."  
Helios didn't let Spectra finish his sentence.  
"This is true."  
"Gate Card Set."  
Dan shouted.  
"Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand."  
Drago was back.  
"Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand."  
Helios was back to and determined to win.  
"Drago, this ends right here, right now. Prepare to be annihilated."  
"Ability Activate: Blackout Cannon."  
Helios shoot from his mouth, and it multiplied, causing something similar to an earthquake.  
Helios gained gs, while Drago lost some.  
"There are no words to describe how much joy destroying you just like there will b no words to describe the pain you will feel."  
Helios said, loading his attack.  
"Ability Activate: Dragon Shield."  
Drago nullified Helios's attack, but Spectra was not done.  
"Ability Activate: Chaos Boost Cannon."  
The tables have turned yet again.  
Drago was now low in gs, while Helios wasn't.  
"Drago."  
Dan was worried.  
The trio looked like they have seen a ghost.  
Helios laughed at Drago.  
"Do you finally see that I'm the most powerful that I'm the ultimate bakugan."  
Helios continued to laugh.  
"Once again, you speak too soon. You are far from the ultimate."  
"Drago."  
Dan was happy to see his bakugan back again.  
"Impossible."  
Gus commented.  
"You say that others will bow before you and your infinite power, but why would they do such thing when you only fight for yourself. You are not the one. I will fight not only for myself, but for all bakugan, and I will do anything to protect New Vestroia."  
Drago delivered the final punch.  
"Yeah, dude."  
Dan smiled.  
"Oh, no."  
Gus said.  
Helios growled.  
"I was supposed to be the one. I don't understand."  
"Dan."  
Drago looked at Dan's direction.  
"Alright. Ability Activate: Maximum Maxus Dragon."  
Drago attacked Helios. As a result, Helios returned to his ball form, and Spectra's life gauge was zero.  
"I can't believe it, Helios lost."  
Gus questioned how he was sure that they would win this time.  
"You were close this time. I give you that."  
Hades looked at Drago's direction, who returned to his ball form.  
"Drago, you did it."  
Dan said, happily.  
"Drago can channel the Perfect Core energy at will. The only way we can defeat him now and take that energy is to surpass his rate of evolution, but how do we do that?"  
"A deal is a deal, Spectra. Pay up."  
Time returned to normal.  
The other brawlers were teleported there.  
"Where are we?"  
Mira looked at her surroundings.  
"Hey, Master Dan."  
Baron happily exclaimed.  
"Huh."  
Mira looked at Spectra like he was some sort of ghost.  
"Spectra? What's going on here?"  
Marucho looked around.  
"I only invited those who were chosen by the Six Ancient Warriors to be bestowed with an attribute energy. Gus prepare the Dimension Transporter, we are going to Mother Palace."  
"We're going to the Mother Palace? Really?"  
Mira was shocked.  
An Aquos bakugan became hyperactive.  
"You did it, Dan."  
"I took part, too, you know."  
Drago replied.  
"Awesome."  
Baron exclaimed.  
"Thanks for showing me the way Dan Kuso."  
"Huh."  
Dan raised an eyebrow.  
"I owe it all to you, my friend."  
Spectra walked away.  
"That took an interesting turn of events."  
Hades said, preparing to walk away, but was stopped by Mira.  
"What did you mean with that?"  
Mira asked with slight hostility hidden by curiosity as this was the first time she has heard Hades speak.  
"You know it's useless to put façade if you don't know how to do it."  
Hades commented, looking her at the eyes.  
"How did you?"  
Mira shook her head as this was not important.  
"That's beside the point, I'm asking you again, what did you mean with that?"  
"To answer both of your questions. I know how to read people's expressions, and I can feel when they put a façade. And as for the other, I thought Dan was going to lose from the start."  
Hades decided to toy with Mira's mind.  
Ace glared at Hades, while Marucho tried to calm him down.  
"How dare you?!"  
Ace glared at Hades.  
"I want to go against you so much now? What do you say, Percival?"  
"I'm on it."  
Percival replied.  
Ace prepared his gauntlet.  
"As much as I want to brawl against you, this is not the right time. You'll need to save your bakugan's strength for later. After all, it would suck to lose because of a tired bakugan, don't you think?"  
Hades said low key playing with his mind and manipulating it at the same time.  
Shun stepped forward and looked at Ace.  
"He's right, Ace. Now it's not the time. We shouldn't waste energy."  
"Fine."  
Ace was irritated as he didn't get his brawl.  
Mira continued to glare daggers at Hades.  
"Now there, don't look at me like that. Don't forget I was the one who sent you the cute tissue box with the note."  
Hades was condescending.  
Mira gasped.  
Before she could ask anything, further Hades has left.  
"What's the meaning of this, Mira?"  
Ace asked with a not so hidden aura of fury. How dare that guy sent something to her.  
"After I joined the Vexos for that short amount of time to try finding out Spectra's plans, some things happened. I couldn't hold it and started crying. Then I received a tissue box and a note."  
Mira explained.  
"Why would he send you something like that? Does he have a crush on you or something?"  
Ace was jealous of this guy.  
"I don't know why, but he didn't seem bad. I mean, he was one of the few people there that treated me normally, the rest of the Vexos were disgusted by my presence."  
Mira explained.  
"Sounds interesting do you keep that note he was referring to?"  
Shun asked.  
"I think I do."  
Mira searched in her jacket and found the crumpled note, which she handed to Shun.  
Shun started reading.  
"I saw you passing by. You were sad. If you feel like crying, cry. Please don't hold it. Let your tears out. The more you bottle your emotions, the more you will be overwhelmed. That's not healthy. Here is a box with handkerchieves to ease your pain."  
Everyone was silent.  
"This doesn't explain anything."  
Ace said.  
"Judging by the written on the note, it seems he had good intentions, but nothing is sure."  
Shun explained.  
"Yeah. This guy is a mystery. Who is he, though?"  
Mira asked.  
Somewhere else.  
"I can't believe you declined a battle."  
Reaper said, annoyed.  
"It was a wise decision."  
Hades said.  
"But what about the battle gear you created. Shouldn't it be enough to beat them with it?"  
Reaper asked.  
"The battle gear is not something to constantly rely on, and you know it. We're not on Gundalia."  
Hades explained.  
"But how am I supposed to get stronger if I don't battle."  
"You've got to be patient, Reaper. I have a plan that you'll like a lot. Trust me."  
Reaper knew that he could trust Hades, so he calmed down, but couldn't stop asking questions.  
"What's the plan then?"  
"We are going to force the evolution out of you."  
Hades explained.  
"Isn't that what Ability X does?"  
"Yes, but I don't want you to lose your mind or your life."  
"I see, but how are you going to do that as Ability X is the only known way?"  
"You'll see Reaper."


	16. Chapter 16

The trio and the brawlers arrived at Mother Palace.  
Hades looked in the sky.  
“The place is as beautiful as it is deadly.”  
“So this is the place, huh Spectra?”  
Dan looked around.  
“Incredible. We are actually inside the Mother Palace – the Vexos’s central base. So cool.”  
Ace commented.  
“I’ve heard stories how big it is, but now that I’ve seen it with my eyes, oh man.”  
Baron exclaimed.  
“This place is heavily fortified.”  
Mira said.  
“It’s too quiet. I don’t like it.”  
Drago said.  
"We better start looking for the Bakugan Termination System, before the Vexos realize we're here."  
Shun said, while Dan was muttering something under his nose.  
Meanwhile, in the throne room, Zenoheld has called the Vexos.  
"You called, sir. Your message sounded urgent."  
Mylene said, still bowing.  
Zenoheld nodded.  
“Behind you.”  
Zenoheld said, pointing to the screen behind them.  
The screen showed the brawlers.  
Shadow groaned.  
“Brawlers?”  
Volt was surprised.  
“But how did they find us?”  
Mylene asked.  
“That weasel Spectra, no doubt.”  
Hydron said.  
“What a wonderful surprise he’s brought us.”  
Zenoheld sounded calm.  
"Oh boy, this should be interesting."  
Lync grinned.  
“Someone’s about to go down, yeah..”  
Shadow showed his tongue.  
"Alright, guys, the clock is ticking."  
Dan sounded excited, rather than nervous.  
“This place is massive. How do we know where to start?”  
Mira said.  
“Hey Spectra, how about a little help taking down Zenoheld. It’s a good thing for both of us.”  
Dan said, hoping they would agree.  
“The bet we made was to show you the location of the palace, Dan, not to do your dirty work for you.”  
“What?!”  
Dan sounded shocked that Spectra wouldn't help.  
“Come on, Spectra. What’s with the attitude?”  
Marucho tried to reason with Spectra.  
Before Spectra could say anything, Hades decided to say something.  
"Quiet there. Just because Spectra decided to teleport you here, he is not obliged to help you. That's reality."  
Hades said.  
Spectra chuckled.  
“Master Spectra has honored his part of the deal, now get lost. We owe you nothing more.”  
Gus spat.  
"I don't understand, guys. We should be united on this."  
"You are a fool if you ever think we will be united on everything. Let's go, Gus, Hades."  
Spectra stated.  
“Yes, Master Spectra.”  
Hades only nodded.  
The trio teleported inside the Mother Palace.  
Gasps were heard from some of the Vexos members.  
“Come on, is that any way how you treat your former leader. Oh, that’s right, you left me for dead.”  
Spectra taunted them.  
“Yeah, well. It should have stayed that way traitors.”  
Mylene glared at the three of them.  
“It’s been a long time. Welcome home, Spectra.”  
Zenoheld said.  
“This wretched place can never be home, Zenoheld.”  
Spectra said.  
“Watch your mouth, Spectra.”  
Hydron looked at Spectra angrily.  
"Enough Hydron. I don't understand why you are so hostile, Spectra, after bringing me the wonderful gift of the brawlers."  
“Who wouldn’t be?”  
Zenoheld hid the fact that he was annoyed.  
"Bringing them here was a gift to them, not you. The brawlers are here to destroy your precious BT system."  
Spectra calmly stated.  
“What’s that?”  
Volt glared at Spectra.  
“Yeah, so you came along to help them, didn’t you.”  
Shadow glared too.  
Gus growled.  
“Let’s calm down.”  
Mylene said.   
“Mylene is right, Gus.”  
“Yes, Master Spectra.”  
Hades was surprisingly very calm, given the situation they were.  
"Father, let me go, and I'll capture the brawlers."  
“No need to panic, Hydron. The brawlers pose no real threat to the BT system or our plans.”  
Zenoheld said.  
“Are you sure about that Zenoheld? Enough to bet your future on it.”  
Spectra mocked Zenoheld.  
“Roasted. This will be your downfall, Zenoheld.”  
“Now then Spectra, I’m sure you wouldn’t have come all the way here unless you wanted something, what is it?”  
Zenoheld looked at Spectra.  
Gus was furious and was holding back his anger.  
“Now, get on it.”  
Zenoheld gritted teeth.  
“Since you asked so nicely. I want you to leave the brawlers alone.”  
Spectra was tired of Zenoheld’s shit.  
"What's that? Boy, you've got to be kidding me.”  
"I promise you I'm very serious, but if you do this, we can start again. I will wipe the slate clean, and you forget you falsely accused me."  
After Spectra said that Mylene and Shadow started arguing with him, that wasn’t the case.  
"And here I thought we would brawl. I was excited to use Grim Pistols finally. What a drag."   
"Enough, I'm not going to listen to any more of this nonsense."  
Hydron said, irritated by the situation.  
"It seems you are doing things backward here, Spectra. It is you who was hurling the false accusations. What is clear, however, is your undeniable betrayal of the Vexos. What can you say for yourself?"  
Zenoheld stated.  
“Let’s hear you lie your way out of this one.”  
Hydron chuckled, twirling with his hair.  
“Silence, I will not allow you to mock Master Spectra any further.”  
"Gus, what did I say?"  
"But, sir."  
“No buts Gus. We are here to negotiate. We don’t have time for this childish bickering.”  
"I'm sorry, Master Spectra."  
Gus bowed.  
"I'll repeat it. I want you to leave the brawlers alone. If you know what's good for you, you'll listen to me."  
Spectra calmly threatened Zenoheld.  
"I see time hasn't lessened your arrogance. I see you should be on your way Spectra."  
Spectra chuckled.  
“You are lucky, my father, king Zenoheld has forgiven you about your betrayal and insolence. You better leave while you still can.”  
Gus growled.  
“If that’s the case. Very well Zenoheld. Gus, Hades, let's go."   
The trio left. Or that’s what it seemed.  
Gus went to pursue Zenoheld. He needed to pay for the words he said to Master Spectra.  
Spectra and Hades returned to the Vestal Destroyer.  
Spectra was sitting on his throne while Hades simply stood.  
After some time, there was a beep sound on Spectra’s gauntlet.  
"When will you learn, Gus?"  
Spectra looked at the beep sound then at Hades.  
“Hmm.”  
“Hades.”  
“Yes, Spectra.”  
“Gus is gone.”  
“I’m sorry about that.”  
Hades said genuinely. Despite not getting along the best, Hades still cared about him, but he would never admit it out loud.  
“No need to apologize. What’s done is done. I want you to help me with my goals.”  
"I see. Very well, then. I will do my best."  
"Good. Unfortunately, I have to do some things. I will be back shortly."  
“Wait, I’m coming with you.”  
Hades said.  
Spectra was surprised.  
“Are you sure?”  
Spectra asked.  
Hades nodded.  
Spectra and Hades teleported, where Dan is.   
"Spectra, Hades, what are you doing here?"  
Dan asked.  
“I thought I’d help you take king Zenoheld down. Isn’t that what you wanted.”  
Spectra said.  
Hades only nodded.  
There were sparkles in Dan’s eyes.  
“Save your energy for the upcoming battle.”  
Hades said, preparing his gauntlet.  
“I thought you were done helping us.”  
"What can I say? You made a convincing argument. Like you said, if the BT system is activated that we'll be bad for both of us."  
Spectra explained.  
"The more, the merrier. Right Mira? Let's do this."  
“This is quite a surprise.”  
Hydron exclaimed.  
“Are you here to battle or just stand around and talk?”  
Zenoheld shouted from afar.  
“That’s king Zenoheld. He used to be the ruler of Vestal.”  
Mira explained to Dan.  
Dan looked angry and disgusted at the mere presence of Zenoheld.  
“You and I have a score to settle for what you did to Gus.”  
Spectra glared at Zenoheld.  
“Ah, Gus, your little lapdog. But why do you care? You have another one, as I see. But don't worry, he was loyal to his Master Spectra till the end."  
Hades glared through the mask.  
Spectra prepared his gauntlet.  
“You’ll pay for taking Gus away from me.”  
“And the drama continues.”  
Hydron said.  
“Gauntlet Power Strike.”  
All of them said.  
"Father, I can deal with them myself. Don't interfere."  
“Very well.”  
Zenoheld said and disappeared somewhere.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Subterra Dryoid.”  
"We have a Subterra Muscle of our own too. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go, Magma Wilda."  
“Let’s bring Pyros to the party too. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand.”  
Drago showed most epically.  
“Let’s show them power, Helios. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand.”  
“Rise Reaper. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Darkus Reaper.”  
Hydron was annoyed.  
"So am I trusting to fight with you two as a team, or should I fend for myself."  
Drago asked.  
“For now, yes. I won’t attack you, but get sure not to get in my way.”  
Helios said.  
"As long as you aren't in my way, you are fine."  
Reaper said.  
Hydron yawned at their conversation  
“Are you done yet? This is why non-mechanical bakugan are so inferior.”  
Wilda attacked.  
‘’Ability Activate: Shooting Dragon.”  
Drago’s gs doubled too.  
“Ability Activate: Murusame blade.”  
All four bakugan had the same gs.  
“Fusion Ability Activate: Shou – Dragon Fly.”  
Droid's ability nullified Drago's.  
“You give up.”  
Hydron taunted them.  
“You wish.”  
Wilda attacked.  
“You brawlers are so predictable.”  
Hydron said, and at the same time, Dryoid sliced Wilda's attack.  
“What the?”  
Mira was shocked.  
Wilda’s Drago’s, Helios’s, and Reaper's gs decreased significantly.  
The force from the attack was so strong. It made Mira fall unconscious.  
Dan went in Mira’s direction, while glaring at Hydron.  
“How dare you do that to a girl?!”  
"Boy, girl. It doesn't matter. All I see is a brawler."  
Dryoid attacked Helios and Drago.  
“Drago!”  
“Right, they are both Pyros bakugan, aren’t they.”  
Hydron had a smug face.  
Dan and Spectra were confused.  
“Gate Card Open: Pyros Spotting out.”  
“Say what?!”  
Dan exclaimed.  
“This Gate Card slashes Pyros bakugan power levels by 500.”  
Reaper was flying in the air unaffected by the Gate Card.  
Reaper flew even higher, swinging his scythe twice at a breakneck pace demolishing the Gate Card.  
Drago thanked him while Helios muttered something.  
That aside Helios and Drago could move again freely, but were still low in gs  
“How is he standing? Why is Drago’s and Helios’s power level decreased.”  
“I could tell you, but this would ruin the surprise.”  
Hades rolled eyed behind his mask.  
Dan glared, while Spectra was annoyed.  
Suddenly Shun, Ace, Baron, and Marucho appeared.  
"Guys, we are too late."  
“Huh, Mira.”  
Ace quickly spotted Mira and went near her. The others followed.  
Dan turned around.  
“Guys.”  
Dan said.  
"Dan, this battlefield is a Vexos's trap."  
Marucho said.  
“Just as I suspected.”  
"It absorbs the powers of the flesh, and blood bakugan then transfers it to any mechanical bakugan brawling."  
"Oh, come on, Shun. Did you have to spoil it? No one likes spoilers."  
Mira awoke.  
“Huh, Ace?”  
She was shocked.  
“I’m right here.”  
Ace replied.  
"Mira, what happened? Why are you and Dan battling with Spectra and Hades?'  
Shun asked with worry in his voice.  
"They tricked us. Now, what are we going to do, huh."  
Dan was angry.  
“Perhaps, it’s some time to try out some new equipment.”  
Dan was confused.  
"Let's do it, Spectra. I'm itching to destroy something."  
"Hey guy, can you help us a little bit in here."  
“Sit back and watch.”  
Spectra said, as he wasn’t in the mood for explanations.  
Spectra typed something on his gauntlet.  
“Ready Twin Destructor.”  
A female mechanical voice said.  
“Battle Gear Set.”  
In seconds the battle gear appeared on Helios.  
“Battle gear, huh Spectra. Sounds like a gimmick to me.”  
Hydron said condescendingly.  
Hades chuckled loudly enough, catching Hydron's attention.  
“I don’t know what you find funny in what I said.”  
“The only funny thing here is your assumption, which will be your fall.”  
Hades was sassy.  
“Harsh.”  
Dan said from afar.  
"How do you like me now, brawlers?"  
Helios flexed.  
“Helios. It’s incredible.”  
It was a breathtaking view of Drago.  
“My only regret is that you won’t be the first victim of the Battle Gear, Drago.”  
Helios was disappointed.  
“Stay focused. Remember that the Vexos are our current enemy.”  
Spectra reminded Helios.  
“Drago’s time will come.”  
Helios roared and started shooting from his battle gear.  
“The battle gear’s performance is even more impressive. This will put the Vexos to their place.”  
Spectra said.  
“Come and get it, Vexos.”  
Helios’s power was increasing.  
“Battle Gear.”  
Dan was hypnotized.  
“It’s incredible.”  
Drago was mesmerized.  
“I could do this all day.”  
Dryoid couldn’t stand a chance against the battle gear and lost the brawl.  
Hydron’s life gauge was nearly gone.  
Hades’s prediction was spot on.  
“How can that be? Dryoid.”  
Hydron looked sad.  
Drago, Helios, and his battle gear along with Reaper returned to their owners.  
“Not too shabby there, Spectra.”  
Spectra ignored Dan’s compliment.  
“I might be down, but I’m not out, yet Spectra.”  
“Stand aside, Hydron.”  
King Zenoheld appeared out of nowhere.  
"Zenoheld decided to join after all.."  
“Father.”  
“Enough with these silly games.”  
“Haha. Daddy came to clean up your mess, huh Hydron.”  
“Gate Card Set.”  
Spectra threw a gate card. There was a red light around it.  
"Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand."  
Helios appeared again.  
"Let's go, Fabros. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand."  
Zenoheld threw his bakugan.  
"Alright, Drago buddy. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand."  
Dan said.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Reaper.”  
Reaper flew in the air.  
Zenoheld glared.  
“Ability Activate: Twin Horn Phaser.”  
Fabros attacked the three bakugan at the same time.  
The three bakugan lost some gs, while Farbos gained a lot.  
“Ability Activate: Superior Shield.”  
The shield protected the three bakugans, and as a result, they returned to their base gs.  
Farbos lost a lot of gs, but Zenoheld wasn’t going to let it stay that way.  
“Ability Activate: Gallium Shield.”  
Drago's shield was destroyed, and as a result, he, Helios, and Reaper lost half of their gs.  
Hades wasn’t going to let it stay this way.  
“Triple Ability Activate: Call of the dead plus Shadow Dance plus Sting.”  
With Call of the dead Reaper automatically becomes 1500gs, it doesn’t matter how low or high were the previous gs.   
His body turned into a big mass of shadows, possessing Farbos.  
Everyone looked shocked. This has never be seen before. The only one who knew what Hades was doing was Spectra.  
A second later, Farbos did something unimaginable and started screeching.  
“What’s happening? Farbos is losing.”  
Zenoheld glared at his gauntlet, knowing that Farbos's gs were sucked dry at a rapid rate.  
“What did you do?”  
Zenoheld roared.  
“Destroying Farbos’s circuits. In other words, Farbos is becoming toasted metal."  
Zenoheld growled.  
“That’s not all.”  
Hades said, typing something on his gauntlet.  
Dan realized something.  
“Don’t tell me you have a battle gear too?”  
Dan said.  
Hades nodded.  
“Ready Grim Pistols.”  
A female mechanical voice said.  
“Battle Gear Set.”  
Two giant hybrid guns appeared in Reaper’s hands. The guns had similarities to bazooka and sniper. Both arms were connected to his sides with glove-like armor.   
There were gasps.  
“Battle Gear Ability Activate: Boom’s day.”  
Reaper connected both guns creating gigantic bazooka sniper that he casually grabbed with one arm. Like the weight was nothing and shoot right at the center, destroying Farbos even further, but somehow the bakugan was still standing.  
“How?”  
Spectra decided to step in.   
“Battle Gear Ability Activate: Twin Destructor.”  
Helios’s power was multiplied.  
“Come on, come on.”  
Helios hit Farbas.  
"Okay. Time for the final hit it, Dan."  
“Alright. Ability Activate: Shooting Tornado.”  
Drago attacked and dropped Farbos’s gs to a whole new level of low.  
Farbos couldn’t return to his ball form, so he exploded.  
"You may have won this, but remember we have the rest of the attribute energies and will use them for destruction."  
Zenoheld said with the other Vexos showing in the background.  
“No way.”  
Dan said.  
"Time to say goodbyes, young brawlers. Every living bakugan is about to be destroyed for good."  
Zenoheld held a sinister smirk.  
The brawlers plus Spectra and Hades were in the Vestal Destroyer traveling to New Vestroia.  
In the meantime, all brawlers bakugans went out to warn everyone on New Vestroia.  
Spectra was looking at the unfolding action while Hades stayed at the other end.  
“I’ve never seen Spectra so cooperative.”  
Ace commented.  
"He's creating the ultimate bakugan, but if the others are dead, it won't be so ultimate. Trust me. He's only helping us because of his sinister agenda. Still not to be trusted."  
Shun further explained.  
"Well, whatever his reasons are, Shun, we should be grateful. Without his ship, we would be long gone."  
Baron tried to be positive, even in a negative situation.  
"That's true, but we shouldn't be only careful with Spectra, though."  
Marucho said  
“What do you mean?”  
Dan asked.  
Marucho pointed to Hades.  
“What about him?”  
Dan asked.  
“Hades is rather mysterious. You saw what he could do during that battle. He is as powerful and dangerous as Spectra.”  
Marucho added.  
“Hades is even less trustworthy than Spectra. Both shouldn’t be trusted.”  
Shun said.  
"Guys, let's not be negative about everything."  
Dan said, followed with a nod from Baron.  
Mira walked near Spectra.  
"So Keith, where is Gus right now? I mean, he is usually standing by your side, isn't he."  
There was silence.  
“What happened to him?”  
Mira asked.  
“After we lost to Zenoheld, Gus disappeared without a trace.”  
Spectra explained, with eyes glued somewhere else.  
A realization hit Mira.  
“Is that why you are helping us then? Is it to avenge Gus?”  
Spectra didn’t want to answer her question and changed the subject.  
"Tell me, Mira, where exactly on Earth do you plan on taking all the bakugan we are transporting?”  
There was some fidgeting from the brawlers.  
"Guys, we can just take them to my house."  
Marucho smiled.  
“That’s a good idea, Marucho. Now we don’t have to split them up.”  
Dan said.  
Spectra turned in Marucho’s direction.  
"Very well, then. I will set the coordinates for re-entry to Marucho's house. Please come with me."  
“You got it.”  
Marucho nodded and started walking with Spectra.  
“Wait, I’m coming too, to make sure you get the coordinates right.”  
Spectra and Marucho stopped.  
“Very well, as you like.”  
And the three of them went somewhere.  
Shun glared at Hades.  
Hades decided to respond.  
"Glaring at me won't solve any of your problems, you know. Besides, don't you have more important things to do."  
Hades said, walking somewhere.  
Hades was in his room with a laptop in hand.  
Hades: Pandora, are you still on Earth?  
Pandora: Took you long enough to text me. And as a matter of fact, I am.  
Hades was relieved.  
Hades: Good. Don’t leave Earth, under no circumstances. There is bakugan apocalypse going on.  
Pandora: Say WHAT?!  
Hades: You heard me right. If you want your bakugan to be safe, don’t leave Earth.  
Pandora: Ok, I won’t.  
Hades: Tell Ethan too.  
Pandora: Of course.  
Hades: Good, we are going to text later.  
With that, Hades closed her laptop and returned to the control room where everyone was.  
Hades appeared right in the middle of an argument between Helios and Drago, who quickly transformed into their original forms.  
Those two attacked, but nothing was working.  
Hades was in his thoughts until he saw Drago trying to lift the BT system.  
“Impossible.”  
But in the end, he managed to do it, going further into the atmosphere.  
Seconds later, there was some light.  
After the light ended, an evolved Drago appeared.  
“Seems like you evolved again, huh Drago.”  
Spectra commented.  
“Still looks like nothing to me.”  
Helios said.  
“It seems like New Vestroia is ok, now. Good. Very good.”  
Drago looked around.  
“Big deal.”  
“Helios.”  
Drago didn't have it with Helios's attitude.  
"You just keep evolving, like you can gain an advantage on me. The thing is you never will, and I will take you down to prove it."  
“It never ends with you.”  
Drago was annoyed.  
In the meantime, Mira went to Spectra.  
“So Spectra, are we not on the same side. We fought well, didn’t we.”  
Mira wanted to shake hands with Spectra, but Spectra refused.  
“Keith, why?”  
“Mira, I told you not to mistake us for partners.”  
Spectra said.  
“But Keith.”  
“Time to go Helios, Hades.”  
And with that, he and Hades teleported back to the Vestal Destroyer, followed by Helios.


	17. Chapter 17

After the destruction of the BT system, things were rather quiet in the Vestal Destroyer.  
Blake was without her mask and typing something on her laptop.  
Spectra was calmly standing at the other corner near the window. He needed answers.  
He stared at the window remembering the last time Gus was around.  
Flashback  
Spectra, Gus, and Hades were looking at a DNA projection.  
“According to this Data, if Helios wants to beat Drago, he needs to evolve faster than him.”  
“Interesting.”  
Gus said.  
Hades was quiet. There were no changes in his behavior or body language.  
Only a single ‘wow’ left his mouth.  
After that, Gus and Hades were helping Spectra with creating the Battle Gear for the rest of the day.  
Flashback ends  
When he remembered that last moment he felt sadness, but that’s not all. He was irritated with Blake for withholding such information on how the hell did she have a battle gear. He needed to confront her.  
Spectra returned to his previous composure and went near Blake.  
“Care to explain how do you have battle gear? Don’t crop out details.”  
Spectra said.  
Blake looked him at the eyes. His eyes were serious.  
There was no going back.  
Blake sighed.  
"Remember when I said I used to live on Gundalia. I used to work, but mostly spying for a group called 'The Twelve Orders". The group was divided by two – 'The Twelve Major Orders' and 'The Twelve Minor Orders.' My partner and I back then managed to get inside 'The Minor Orders.' I quickly became a favorite member of one of the best scientists there. That person used me as an assistant and personal spy. The Battle Gear originated on Gundalia after series of bloodshed experiments. And why I have it, you ask. I worked with the original creator, and I wouldn't lose a chance not to gain something from this, so I stole the entire Data about the original battle gear.”  
Blake went even closer and nearly whispered the last sentence.  
Spectra was shocked, his eyes turning big behind the mask.  
“You knew about the Battle Gear this whole time.”  
Spectra said without changing expression.  
"I do, and I know much more, but you are the one to talk too. Don't forget. You withheld information from me too."  
Blake smirked.  
Spectra was quiet. He knew what she said was right, but if he admitted, his pride would be damaged. He wanted to argue with her, but he knew it wouldn’t be beneficial for either of them.  
“You sly snake.”  
Spectra smirked too.  
Both were staring intensely at their eyes.  
“Anyway…”  
Blake said, ignoring Spectra and preparing to get back to her room.  
Suddenly she stopped.  
“What you saw has much deeper meaning than what you saw on a surface level.”  
Spectra was intrigued.  
“What do you mean with that?”  
“That Data you received, it’s about an upcoming War between Gundalia and Neathia.”  
“That has nothing to do with us.”  
Spectra said, looking at the opposite direction.  
Blake chuckled.  
“That’s correct. The two planets are different. Neathia is peaceful, Gundalia is war-oriented. The Data was sent from Neathia. They are searching for strong brawlers from all over the Universe to have a chance winning that war."   
“How can you be so sure?”  
Blake chuckled.  
"Me and some friends fought to prevent that war, but as it seems, they postponed it."  
“Interesting.”  
"Indeed is, but unfortunately, that's the information I have."  
Blake said, leaving for her room.  
When Blake was out of the picture, Helios popped on Spectra's shoulder.  
“You two had some tension going on.”  
Helios said.  
"Be quiet, Helios."  
Spectra said, returning to his room.  
Blake was in her room.  
“Are you ok after sharing everything?”  
“I’m fine, Reaper. Besides that was going to happen sooner or later.”  
Blake said, barely keeping her eyes open and yawned.  
“We are going to talk about this later as I’m tired. Time for some sleep.”  
Blake yawned again.  
She undressed, throwing her clothes on the chair and some unintentionally on Reaper.  
"Hey, I'm not a hanger.”  
Reaper protested, throwing the article of clothing somewhere, but he instantly regretted it as he saw his brawler with underwear.  
Reaper instantly blushed.  
“I-I’m sorry.”  
Reaper went in the other corner of the room, embarrassed by what he saw. It’s not the first time that has happened, but it still felt embarrassing.  
Blake tossed her bra somewhere in the room and put a tank top and shorts.  
"Reaper, you can come now."  
Blake chuckled at the funny reaction her bakugan displayed.  
“Next time, please warn me when you do something like that.”  
Reaper had a blush around him.  
Blake chuckled.  
“Good night, Reaper.”  
Blake turned off the lights and immediately fell asleep.  
At first, everything was peaceful, but things started to take another turn in the land of the nightmares.  
Blake was fidgeting in her sleep to the point half of her body fell on the floor.  
Blurred moments started to replay when Kazarina tried to use her for an actual guinea pig, and the day Darkus Lumagrowl died in front of her eyes. The day when she was helpless and paralyzed. She couldn’t save him.  
Blake was whispering short inaudible words.  
She didn't realize that the door to her room was open, and a passing by Keith saw her.  
“Blake!?”  
He was shocked.  
He entered her room and picked her upper body, putting it back on her bed.  
Her sleeping expression still looked uneasy.  
“What kind of nightmare are you having?”  
Keith thought, wondering whether or not he should leave her until a firm grip caught his right hand.  
“Stay.”  
Blake sleep talked.  
Keith chuckled, getting the nearest chair and sitting on it.  
If Blake wanted him to stay, he would stay, and in no time, he fell asleep holding her left hand with his.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I apologize for not uploading a new chapter yesterday, but I didn't feel so well. Unfortunately, I won't be able to update after this chapter for a good while. Assignments in my university are becoming too much in such little time, and I need to concentrate on them. I hope you understand.

Morning came, and Blake woke up looking at her surroundings. Everything was calm until Blake saw her hand in Keith’s and quickly untangled it.  
“What has happened?”  
Blake picked Reaper, who was sleeping very quietly, but quickly woke up once he felt someone picking him and showed himself.  
“Blake?!”  
Reaper was surprised. Usually, he was the one to wake Blake up, not the other way around.  
“What happened last night?”  
Blake asked.  
Reaper was dumbfounded at first until he noticed Spectra in PJs, sleeping and mask free figure.  
“I don’t know too. I was in deep slumber.”  
Reaper replied.  
“I see.”  
Blake stood up picking her yesterday clothes, tossing them in the wardrobe and instead got her tight jumpsuit which was sitting in the closet for some time now along with shirtless long jacket with some details on the back, which she had bought at the same time when she was shopping for her Vexos attire. With that, she left for the bathroom to change.  
In no time she returned to her room, and a fully clothed Keith, no Spectra was there with his mask shining from afar.  
She was speechless.  
“Cat got your tongue.”  
Spectra teased.  
"Haha, very funny."  
Blake said unamused, picking her Hades mask.  
“Cold.”  
“Don’t pretend you aren’t.”  
Blake retorted.  
Spectra rolled his eyes.  
Blake was near the door and about to leave.  
"Whatever you say, Ice Queen."  
Spectra chuckled.  
Blake froze in her tracks  
A blush was trying to creep on her face.  
Spectra used this moment to surprise her from behind, startling her even further.  
“What the hell are you trying to do?!”  
A pink blush was visible on her face.  
Before she could do anything further, Spectra hugged her.  
Blake didn’t like hugs and tried to break apart from it, but as a result, Spectra hugged tighter.   
“I feel the air is leaving me.”  
Blake didn’t like this and unfortunately had to resort to ‘dirty’ tricks, which by that she meant stepping on his foot rather painfully.  
This made him release her from the hug.  
Blake grabbed the chance and quickly walked to the middle of the hallway, irritated.   
She quickly fixed most of her composure.  
“Don’t ever do or mention this again.”  
From afar, Spectra chuckled.  
"I never imagined you'd be so against and embarrassed by this."  
"Calm down, loverboy."  
"Shut up, Helios.”  
Meanwhile, the Bakugan Brawlers were in Marucho's, and we're sitting on four separate couches. Mira looked at her necklace with Keith's photo, wondering what he was going to do.  
For some reason, her thoughts were stopping on Hades. Like the rest of the brawlers, Mira thought that Hades was an even bigger mystery than Spectra, not only that, but as powerful and dangerous as him too.   
Mira's mind started replaying recent events like flashbacks, but some of Hades's mannerisms reminded her of someone that was supposed to be dead from a decade ago. But it couldn't be possible, right? But then again, Spectra turned out to be her brother, so she was expecting everything at this point.  
“That’s ridiculous unless the Vestal technology has evolved to do such things.”  
Mira thought with horror-struck face.  
“Hades is ….”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter contains semi-descriptive make out.

It was night. Most were sleeping except Mira. She couldn’t sleep for some reason.  
Mira was in Marucho’s garden and sitting on one of the benches relaxing. Keith/Spectra was a closed chapter of her life, which she accepted. Mira stretched her neck.  
“I see you are in a good mood.”  
Wilda commented.  
Mira only smiled.  
Unknown to her, she wasn't the only one awake. Ace was there, walking towards her.  
Mira was surprised.  
“I thought you were sleeping.”  
“Not a chance considering the uncertain circumstances.”  
Mira chuckled and made space on the bench so he could sit.  
“Why are you out there? Don’t tell me you are thinking about Spectra?”  
Ace asked.  
"Not at all. Something else was keeping me awake. I don't know what it is, though?"  
Ace raised an eyebrow. This didn’t sound like Mira at all.  
“What do you mean?”  
Ace raised an eyebrow.  
Mira shared her thoughts. Ace’s eyes got wide.  
Somewhere else, two girls were arguing with each other through their devices—a very comical argument.  
Pandora: Awww ;)  
Blake and Pandora haven’t even started the conversation, and Blake could feel her satisfied expression.  
Hades: What?!  
Pandora: You didn’t tell me you entered a relationship. It was about DAMN time.  
Blake rolled her eyes.  
Hades: I haven’t told you anything, that’s your imagination.  
Pandora: You are in denial.  
Hades: I am not.  
Pandora: Denial is the best façade to hide the truth behind.  
Hades: Since when did you become so philosophical and enlightened?  
Pandora: The moment you became an apathetic kuudere.  
Hades: Continue this topic and consider your messages are going to be ignored in the future.  
Pandora: Gosh.  
Hades: Do you plan to continue?  
Pandora: Maybe not, maybe?”  
Blake was getting more annoyed to the point that Reaper felt her irritation from afar.  
Hades: You know this conversation isn’t going anywhere.  
Pandora: Maybe, maybe not.  
This word alone was triggering Blake so much. She was close to snap at Pandora, even if she didn't want to do it. Instead, she closed her laptop rather aggressively.  
“Don’t let your anger out on the laptop.”  
Reaper commented.  
Blake punched the wall somewhat hard, which caught Reaper off guard, as this wasn't typical for his brawler.  
Blake glared at her hand. There was a bit of blood, but she knew that this was going to end up looking like a bruise due to her vast medical knowledge.  
She was getting a bit of cold, grabbed a hoodie, and went to the bathroom to apply some hot water on the bruise, to get some blood flow and release trapped blood. It was a bit uncomfortable but bearable. After that, she searched for bandages and quickly bandaged her entire hand.  
“Much better.”  
Blake moved her hand.  
She was walking towards her room until she bumped in Keith wearing pjs.  
Keith chuckled.  
“Don’t appear out of nowhere.”  
“It’s not out of nowhere.”  
Blake yawned a bit when he was talking.  
“It’s impolite to yawn when one is talking.”  
Keith said.  
“You are the one to talk about manners.”  
Blake retorted.  
Keith decided to use the situation they were in and made Blake’s back hit the wall lightly.   
Blake had an emotionless and passive expression. She wasn’t prepared for what was going to happen next.  
Keith kissed her on the lips. It was a quick kiss.  
Keith had a smug expression.  
Blake rolled her eyes.  
“For someone who is a bottom, you have quite the devilish grin.”  
Blake chuckled.  
“From all possible things, the bottom is the last thing I am.”  
Blake kicked Keith's ankle, making him lose balance, falling on the floor, with her as a top.  
“You play dirty.”  
Keith said.  
“Shut up.”  
Blake had a devilish smile.  
It was her turn to kiss him.  
Her kisses were rather long and passionate, unlike Keith's, who was quicker. When he tried to break the kiss, she kissed again, biting his bottom lip, making him open his mouth again, but this time she inserted her tongue spicing up the kiss.   
Keith was shocked, but he wasn’t going to lie and say he didn’t enjoy it.  
After five minutes, Blake broke the kiss, still staying on top of Keith.  
“So.”  
Blake said.  
“I don’t know, you tell.”  
Keith teased.  
Blake chuckled.  
“Well I guess, I’m going to leave you down on the floor.”  
Blake was about to stand up, but Keith had other plans.  
He did a pushup, and now both of their faces were close to each other.  
Blake had an expressionless face and quickly averted her body. Her back was facing Keith.  
Keith chuckled, picking Blake bridal style.  
“What the hell are you doing?”  
There was some blush on her face.  
“Nothing much.”  
Keith playfully said.  
“Keith!”  
They were in front of his room, but to be a more precise door.  
“Hold tighter.”  
Blake did so.  
Keith opened the door with his left hand.  
He quickly went to his bed and dropped Blake there and immediately sat next to her.  
Blake raised her non-existent eyebrow at him.  
“Why the hell are you doing this?”  
Blake asks.  
“Just wanting to spend time together.”  
Blake was skeptical.  
“Knowing you, there is a hidden reason.”  
Keith chuckled.  
“I assure you there is not, Ice Queen.”  
Blake sighed.  
“You are going to use this nickname often, aren’t you?”  
“It’s one of the few things that can embarrass you.”  
“Fuck you.”  
“Not tonight.”  
Blake rolled her eyes at his tasteless attempt to joke.  
Blake yawned as she was barely holding her eyes open.  
Keith saw this and caught her before she hit her head somewhere else and put her head on the pillow.  
After he made sure Blake was asleep, he quietly snuggled near her.  
When both of them were asleep, Helios appeared from somewhere in the room.  
“It was about time.”  
And he returned to his ball form.


	20. Chapter 20

Morning, the next day, Keith and Blake were still sleeping.  
Keith opened his eyes slightly and saw a surprising sight.  
Blake sleeping calmly, hands wrapped tightly around his arm.  
"And you tell me you hate hugs."  
Keith chuckled.  
Keith wanted to get up, trying to remove Blake's hands off him, but Blake's tight grip around his arm said otherwise.  
"You win this time. "  
Keith returned to his bed under the covers.  
Once he did, Blake wrapped her legs around his leg, using him as a human body-pillow, but more accurately, a Vestal body-pillow.  
Keith sighed, but unknown to him, Blake let the tiniest smile out there.  
Thirty minutes later, Blake woke up on top of Keith.  
Her eyes were met with his.  
She immediately averted her entire body and was now sitting on his bed, collecting herself. She needed to calm down.  
"I apologize that you had to put up with me during the night."  
Blake said calmly with no hints of embarrassment.  
"No need. It was nice having your body wrapped around me."  
Blake stood up and went near the door.  
"We shall never speak of this again."  
With that, she closed the door.  
Keith chuckled, starting to put his Spectra outfit.  
"You two are an interesting match."  
Helios commented.  
"You could say that."  
Keith put his mask.  
Meanwhile, Blake was in her room.  
Reaper didn't say anything, but Blake knew what he was thinking.  
Blake groaned. She didn't need another Pandora here.  
Come to think of it. She ignored her yesterday. There was a thought of texting with her again, but that would mean becoming too soft towards her. Blake wanted her to taste a bit of her own medicine.  
Blake has put her clothes, except for her sleeveless jacket.  
Once done, she grabbed her mask, putting it inside the jacket pockets along with her gauntlet and went to the kitchen, starting to make some coffee for herself. This time she didn't put an enormous amount like before as she had the needed energy to survive through the day, as yesterday was the best sleep she has ever had.  
She quickly made her coffee and drank it. She was not feeling for a second cup.  
Not so long after, Spectra came.  
There was some silence as both of them were not willing to speak.  
"So, what are we now? Are we official?"  
Blake asked, referring to yesterday.  
"You can say it like that."  
Fast forward some hours later. The two teleported to New Vestroia.  
The two of them stood on a high rock on New Vestroia.  
At first, Spectra was hesitant about Hades coming, but Hades insisted everything will be fine.  
Spectra started challenging as if Dan was at the same place.  
Hades was silent.  
Minutes later, Dan appeared, but he wasn't alone.  
"I see you have brought an army. Am I going to fight them too?"  
Spectra said.  
Dan laughed.  
"You are the one to talk."  
Dan said, referring to Hades, who seemed oddly different today.  
"I'm here to observe."  
Hades said without the mask voice, shocking nearly everyone.  
"Any last words, Drago?"  
Helios taunted Drago.  
"Just us."  
There was silence between both sides.  
The brawlers told Dan to be careful with Spectra. Dan nodded and jumped to another rock.  
Hades did the same, but jumping backward and landing gracefully on another rock.  
"I'm going to enjoy this."  
Spectra said confidently.  
"Not as much as me."  
Dan grinned.  
"Gauntlet Power Strike."  
Both guys screamed at the same time.  
"Gate Card Set."  
Spectra threw a Gate Card.  
There was red everywhere.  
"No mercy Helios."  
"Don't worry. I have none."  
From afar, Reaper was judging Helios, as he knew Helios's façade.  
"Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Helios MK2."  
Helios growled.  
"Drago, you ready, buddy?"  
Dan asked.  
"Always ready."  
"Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Pyrus Helix Dragonoid."  
Drago showed himself in his new glory.  
"At last, the final battle has begun."  
"At last, Spectra, let's do it."  
"Ability Activate Chaos Power Canon."  
Helios started loading his attack, but Dan wasn't going to let Drago lose.  
"Ability Activate Dragon Hummer."  
A red-like shield appeared on top of Drago, and he started running.  
"I've seen you have become faster."  
Helios said as he saw Drago escaping his attacks.  
"Stay still."  
Helios said irritated that he couldn't shoot him.  
"You wish."  
Drago said.  
"Helios. Keep firing on him. Ability Activate Pulsing Twister."  
Spectra shouted.  
Helios fired. This time Drago couldn't escape, and the shot hit him. Helios immediately grabbed Drago.  
"Ability Activate Discharger."  
Drago was knocked out on the ground, trying to stand up, but Helios was having none of it.  
"Gate Card Open: Active Ghost."  
"So what? Ability Activate Firem Tornado. This should nullify your Gate Card."  
As per se, it did happen along with Drago getting back some of his gs.  
"Yeah, nice one."  
Ace commented from afar.  
"Great job, guys."  
Marucho was cheering too.  
"Hmm."  
Hades stood, observing like a statue with no movement.  
"Ability Activate Galactic Dragon."  
Drago fired at Helios and then punched him hard-hitting some rocks.  
"Farbas EM Activate."  
Drago continued punching Helios, who continued to recover until there was some major glitch at the system, but despite the attempt, it only made Helios lose automatically.  
"No, I can still fight."  
With that he returned to a ball form.  
Spectra lost nearly all of his life gauge.  
"I can't believe we lost by so much."  
Spectra growled.  
"So, Spectra, are you still trying to prove you are the best."  
Dan taunted him.  
Spectra glared.  
"He pushed Spectra's buttons with this one. Things are becoming interesting."  
"In your dreams. I'd rather die trying, then finish second, and so would Helios."  
"Damn."  
"Be careful what you wish for Spectra. Gate Card Set."  
There was red light everywhere.  
"Go Drago. Bakugan Stand."  
"Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand."  
Helios appeared in all of his glory.  
"Ability Activate Galactic Dragon."  
"Ability Activate Ragnarok Cannon."  
"That was a lucky shot before. There won't be a second time."  
"You talk big, Helios."  
Both attacks nullified each other.  
"Fusion Ability Activate: Dragon Surge."  
"I will not be defeated."  
Drago attacked Helios.  
There was smoke and heavy wind in the near surroundings.  
"Ability Activate: Dragon Pincer."  
Lasers, out of Helios's mechanical hand, started to appear everywhere.  
Drago was trying to evade each one of them.  
"Quit jumping around."  
Helios continued his attack.  
"Ability Activate: Helix Shield."  
Helios tried to attack again with his mechanical hand, but the shield reflected the side.  
"Come on. Let's finish this, Drago buddy."  
Dan was impatient.  
"With pleasure."  
Drago answered as he too wanted this to finish.  
"You heard them, Helios."  
"I'm going to tear you apart. Say goodbye."  
Helios made a hole inside of him. The hole was surrounded by electricity.  
"What are you doing, Helios?"  
Helios grabbed the wires, deactivating some obstacles.  
After that, his gs skyrocketed.  
"I'm going to fight you to the very end."  
Helios was unstable.  
"Talk about determination."  
Hades whispered so only Reaper could hear.  
Reaper nodded.  
"Look at him. He's gone completely crazy."  
Ace said.  
"Okay, you want to fight that badly. Gate Card Open: Split Pressure."  
Dan said.  
Helios got paralyzed and couldn't move, but was trying to do so.  
"You think you can stop me."  
Helios moved and punched the Gate Card, breaking it as a result.  
"Ready Twin Destructor."  
A female mechanical voice said.  
A battle gear appeared, which Spectra quickly grabbed.  
"Battle Gear Boost."  
The Battle Gear appeared on Helios.  
"Battle Gear Ability Activate: Twin Destructor."  
Helios started shooting at Drago.  
Drago wasn't fast to react like previous times and barely escaped.  
He was flying everywhere.  
"Now, Helios."  
"Okay, there you go, Drago."  
"You like going down, aren't you? Ability Activate: Burning Reflector."  
"It's no use."  
Spectra stated.  
"It's over."  
Helios attacked Drago. Drago fell on the ground and returning to ball form."  
Dan's life gauge got barely harmed and still got quite left.  
Dan picked Drago off the ground and grinned.  
"That was intense."  
Dan was catching his breath.  
"Oh boy, you were right there, Spectra. This battle is a whole lot of fun."  
"Gate Card Set."  
Spectra threw a Gate Card illuminating everything in red.  
"Go Helios. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand."  
Helios was ready for the final round.  
"Here we go again, Drago. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan stand."  
Drago was ready to finish this.  
"Battle Gear Boost."  
The Battle Gear appeared again on Helios.  
"Ability Activate: Spinning Wall."  
There was a boost in Drago's gs and decrease in Helios's.  
Spectra smirked, opening the Gate Card.  
"Battle Gear Ability Activate: Twin Destructor, Level 2. With this Gate Card, the opponent's attacks get nullified, while also working with the Battle Gear and doubling the attack of the Battle Gear's Abilities."  
Spectra explained.  
"Haha. There is no way you can win now."  
Spectra laughed.  
Dan glared.  
"Say good night."  
Helios fired.  
Drago tried to escape the attack.  
"Can you feel your life slipping away?"  
"Hold on, Drago."  
Dan shouted.  
The battle gear was starting to glitch, but Helios didn't care.  
"I'm not done with you."  
Helios said, determined to win.  
"Get up, Drago."  
"Keep fighting, Helios."  
Both dragons started to attack each other physically.  
Both were on edge, but in the end, Drago managed to break Twin Destructor.  
The Battle Gear removed itself from Helios, exploding in the air.  
"Helios, the battle gear."  
Helios looked at Spectra then at Drago.  
"Now, it's over Helios."  
Drago stated.  
"Never, I will destroy you."  
Helios used what little energy he had to crash Drago on a rock.  
"Man, that was harsh."  
Baron commented.  
Both bakugans continued their physical fight.  
"We will not be defeated. Ability Activate: Chaos Canon."  
"Ability Activate: Dragon Planix."  
Both bakugans attacked at the same time.  
"Drago!"  
"Helios!"  
"You don't know when to give up, do you."  
Helios said.  
"I could say the same thing about you."  
Drago answered.  
"Came on Drago, we are almost there."  
Dan said.  
Drago concentrated his mind and fired an even bigger attack finishing Helios along with destroying the surrounding area.  
Dan was barely holding while Spectra was falling.  
"Spectra!"  
After the smoke got cleaned up, a gigantic crater was formed.  
Helios manages to catch Spectra with his hand.  
Spectra sees that and stands up.  
"Helios."  
Spectra said, looking Helios at the eyes.  
His life gauge went to zero.  
"I am broken. I'm the one who's been defeated for good."  
"Helios."  
"Drago, you are the ultimate bakugan. You are number one."  
"That's not important."  
Helios barely stays and nearly falls on the ground, but Drago quickly catches him.  
"Come on."  
"Drago, thank you."  
"Are you okay, Spectra?"  
Dan was concerned.  
"You are good, Dan. The best."  
Spectra complimented.  
Dan was taken aback but smiled.  
"Thanks, man."  
"Perhaps it's time that I consider working with the best instead of against him."  
Spectra grabbed his mask, removing it, revealing Keith smiling.  
Everyone was amazed, while Mira was glowing.  
"Things are looking brighter."  
Before Keith could say anything, Mira quickly went near him and hugged him. The rest of the brawlers were smiling.  
But that was short-lived as Hades was approaching.  
Ace and Shun regained their serious expressions.  
Mira stopped hugging Keith but was still close to him.  
"No need to be hostile. Relax. I don't plan on doing anything."  
"What do you plan to do then?"  
Shun asked skeptically.  
"Nothing."  
Hades said, lazily stretching his head a bit.  
"Is that so?"  
Ace continued questioning.  
"Yes."  
Keith chuckled at the brawlers' reactions.  
"What's so funny brother?"  
Mira asked.  
"The person behind is anything, but evil, but if provoked, that's another story. Besides, the person is too lazy."  
Keith commented.  
The others looked confused.  
Blake was so done with Keith now, but thankfully the Hades mask concealed any expressions and emotions.  
"Really?"  
Hades said removing the bottom part of the mask, but still keeping the top part of it.  
Mira was trying to take a glance at Hades's face, but the hood was concealing it.  
Keith pretended not to hear Blake's slightly angry voice.  
"Awkward."  
Baron commented.  
"Why is it taking you so long to remove a mask?"  
Ace was annoyed.  
"I need to get accustomed to the light, some people …"  
Blake removed the Hades mask, but the hood was still concealing the face.  
"… have sensitive eyes."  
Blake removed the hood showing her entire face.  
The brawlers were surprised by the reveal.  
"You were a girl this whole time?! Is that how you sound?"  
Dan was shocked and amazed by Blake's actual voice as it was quite deep.  
Drago popped on Dan's shoulder.  
"Dan, you just don't ask people if that' their actual voice."  
Drago commented.  
Blake chuckled.  
"What's so funny?"  
Shun asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Your reactions."  
Blake replied with sassiness in her voice.  
Keith wanted to facepalm seriously.  
Mira was trying to pinch her skin. Her eyes must be tricking her.  
"How are you alive?"  
"It's complicated."  
Blake answered.  
"Wait, hold on, what's happening?"  
Marucho interrupted.  
"Guys, this is Blake."  
Mira introduced Blake to everyone.  
Ace looked serious until he realized something.  
Flashback  
"You see, I think I know Hades's identity."  
Mira said, looking at Ace's eyes.  
"Who might you think is?"  
Ace asked as he was curious who might that be as he knew Mira's family.  
"Blake."  
"Who is he? You never mentioned anything about this guy."  
"Blake is a girl. I didn't mention it, because we weren't close friends. My brother was the one who was closer to her. I haven't seen her in ten years after her death."  
Mira said, putting quotation marks around the word death with her hands.  
"Then why do you think that Blake is Hades if she is dead?"  
Ace raised an eyebrow as Mira wasn't making sense at all.  
"I don't believe she is dead. That's the thing."  
Mira seriously said.  
Flashback ends  
Ace's eyes were enlarged from the shock.  
"So Mira's prediction was right."  
Ace said.  
Mira was still looking at Blake.  
"Well, I did drop hints."  
Blake said, referring to the note she gave Mira a long time ago.  
Keith grinned lightly, remembering he caught some unintentional hints.  
Mira went near Blake.  
If Blake still had her eyebrows, she would raise one of them at Mira's action.  
Mira put her hands forward for a handshake.  
"Blake, I want you to join us."  
Blake questioned why she was doing this because the brawlers did not know about her existence, unlike Keith's and not to mention Shun and Ace openly disliked her. To be honest, she doesn't blame them. If she were in their position, she would probably be like them too.  
"Well?"  
Blake quickly extended her hand for a handshake to 'seal the deal' in away.  
Mira smiled.  
Blake broke the handshake, but Mira used the moment to hug her.  
Blake didn't feel comfortable with the hug.  
Keith chuckled at her reaction, and in return, he received an eye roll from her.  
After that, everyone went back to Earth.


	21. Chapter 21

The next day Mira was early up and was staying at Marucho’s garden looking at a pendant with Keith’s photo hoping for everything to be true and not an illusion.  
Mira was so consumed with her thoughts that she didn’t feel Blake coming.  
It wasn’t until she turned around seeing Blake standing there with crossed arms behind her neck.  
“Blake, you startled me.”  
Mira said.  
“Happens sometimes.”  
Blake replied, now stretching her arms forward.  
“You say it so casually. Does this happen a lot?”  
Mira asked.  
Blake didn’t answer with words, but just a nod, not specifying a number.  
“I see.”  
Mira said.  
Despite keeping the conversation going, she still mainly thought of Keith.  
Blake discreetly glanced at Mira. Just by her body language, she could tell Mira was overwhelmed with something big. Blake betted that it is something to do with Keith.   
Speaking of the devil, Keith was walking towards them.  
“Good morning, Mira, Blake.”  
“Morning.”  
Blake said without showing any emotions on her face.  
“Good Morning.”  
While on the other hand, Mira was smiling.  
Blake could feel she was going to become the third wheel, making an excuse to leave before that happened.  
“I’m going to leave you two alone.”  
Blake excused herself, leaving the two of them alone as they haven't talked or seen each other appropriately.  
Mira looked puzzled but quickly brushed it off.  
After some time, everyone arrived, and Blake returned from her short walk, standing with crossed arms and staring at the sky.  
There was some teasing and bickering from the brawler’s side until someone called for attention.  
"Excuse me, everyone, may I have for your attention, please? Could you all assemble in the operation room?"  
The voice said.  
“Oh yeah, it’s ready.”  
Marucho smiled and jumped from happiness.  
Mira looked questionably at Keith.  
“It’s time.”  
Keith said seriously.  
Minutes later, everyone was in front of a giant screen.  
"This is the scan of the Data we received two days ago."  
Marucho said.  
“What is it?”  
Dan asked.  
“Is this making music?”  
Runo asked.  
"Now, look at the one that Keith received."  
Blake was concentrated on the screen, looking at both Data.  
“It seems the Brawlers have received the same Data as Keith. Interesting.”  
“Woah, check it out.”  
Ace said.  
“Both strands are practically identical.”  
Shun said.  
"You are wrong, Shun. Take a closer look."  
Marucho typed something, making both Data to combine.  
Dan was shocked.  
"Yep, both Data strands are the same."  
“No way, what are the odds that Keith would receive the same Data as us.”  
“Who knows, but that must be the reason why the bakugan from Interspace had the same battle gear as Helios and Reaper.”  
Mira said.  
Blake quietly chuckled in her mind.  
"Only Helios's. Reaper's has nothing to do with the received data."  
Blake said, averting her face so she could look, everyone.  
Everyone's attention was caught.  
“What do you mean with that?”  
Shun asked.  
“Reaper has his battle gear way before this Data.”  
"How did you manage to get your hands on such a thing?"  
Shun asked suspiciously.  
“I used to work for the person that created the battle gear. I was there from the whole beginning when the battle gear was only blueprints.”  
Blake explained.  
"So, you must know a lot about battle gear."  
Marucho said.  
“Yes and no.”  
“Huh?”  
“The first battle gear was drastically different than what you see today. When the battle gear started to have a higher success rate and become more usable, I decided to steal the Data and leave that person. But judging from the battle gear Data you received and the one I remember, the witch has barely made any changes while I modified the one I stole from her."  
Ace looked at Blake suspiciously. Who was she and why did Mira want her to join. What happened now was something he couldn't fathom as this person gave weird and suspicious vibes.  
“I see.”  
Marucho accepted the explanation.  
Shun looked at Ace, and he could see they were on the same boat when it came to Blake.  
What Blake was saying was nothing new to Keith and quickly changed the subject explaining that Drago had to be the one to get the battle gear because of his evolution and chances for winning.   
“Sounds great.”  
Dan was excited.  
"I'm not sure, Dan."  
Drago was hesitant.  
"Come on. You'd be unstoppable with some battle gear."  
“What I thought was, I was already unstoppable.”  
Drago said.  
Dan was confused.  
"I guess you did destroy the BT system on your own, and you beat Helios. Now that you have evolved into Helix Dragonoid, maybe you don't need the battle gear."  
“Dan, Drago is satisfied. Don’t force him.”  
Shun said.  
“I feel good the way I am.”  
"Don't deny yourself this improvement, Drago."  
“We need to consider the possibility that we are not the only ones with the Phantom Data.”  
Spectra said, catching the attention of everyone.  
"Don't say that, father…"  
Mira couldn't finish the sentence, but it was apparent what she was going to say.  
"Do you think that the Vexos have the same Data as we do?"  
Dan asked.  
“A very high chance, right, Blake?"  
Keith said, looking at Blake.  
"I do have a theory that this Data is sent to brawlers through the Universe, but I don't know who the receivers and I wouldn't be surprised if the Vexos are among them."  
Blake remembered when she shared this theory to Keith not so long and carefully choose her wording as she knew the origins of the Data along with Keith.  
There was silence.  
"If they have the same technology, then they have no choice. We have to upgrade to battle gear. If we want to win, then we have to even out the playfield."  
Dan talked like a military leader with the bakugans carefully listening.  
“Bud, how do you feel about a mechanical body?”  
“Not good.”  
Drago replied.  
“It’s against our nature.”  
Wilda said.  
“We fought so hard to prove that we are sentient beings.”  
Nemus expressed his opinion.  
“What you are asking is the equivalent of turning us into mindless robots.”  
Percival was not fond of the idea too.  
"The battle gear that we will be creating would be utilizing your DNA code. It will be organic to your own body, not foreign. It will be a natural enhancement."  
"You are saying that it will be like constructing an armor for our bodies from our flesh and bone."  
Ingram said.  
"As long as you can assure me that it's nothing that the Vexos did with mechanical bakugan or how you altered Helios, trying to make him the Ultimate bakugan.”  
Drago said.  
“Drago.”  
Dan kneeled.  
“Keith is sure.”  
Marucho assured.  
“Good thing that they don’t know the very first designs of the battle gear, then they would be disappointed and angry.”  
Blake thought.  
“Okay, I will do it for the benefit of the group.”  
Drago finally agreed.  
“Right on.”  
Dan smiled.  
“You are the best.”  
Marucho said.  
“Come on, let’s go.”  
"Drago's evolution is so advanced. It would take some time to analyze his DNA. For now, we can create a hybrid prototype by splicing a portion of his DNA strand with Helios's battle gear. It won't be precise as the final version, but it will give us a sense of the possibilities."  
Keith said while looking at the screen and back to Drago and Helios, who was being scanned.  
“Try not to scratch my battle gear, okay.”  
Helios said.  
“I’ll do my best.”  
Drago assured him  
“Here we go.”  
The DNA started combining.  
Dan looked amazed.  
"This is a mock-up course based on the system analysis of Drago's DNA and its compatibility with Helios's battle gear."  
"So, depending on the result's analysis, the final version can be quite different from this. I can't wait to see it. This suspense is killing me."  
Marucho was excited.  
“Wouldn’t it help if we put Drago in Bakugan Interspace and collect his battle Data results from there?”  
Mira suggested.  
“Why didn’t I think of that?”  
Marucho said.  
Seconds later, everyone was teleported to Interspace.  
“So that’s Bakugan Interspace.”  
Keith looked around, impressed.  
Blake looked around in awe. It reminded her of the simulator she created for Reaper on New Vestroia, but this one was better. Reaper was amazed at everything too.  
“Look who’s still here. We were looking for opponents.”  
Dan said.  
“Huh.”  
"Keith meets Subterra Cordem, Ventus Hawktor, Aquos Akwimos, and Haos Aranaut."  
Marucho introduced Keith to the bakugans.  
Blake felt uneasy from the inside. Her theory was confirmed, and now she had proof.  
“How do you know their names?”  
“Their names were encrypted deep within the code.”  
“Drago.”  
Dan said  
“Yes, it’s now or never.”  
Drago replied.  
“You sound nervous.”  
Helios said.  
“Who’s the unlucky one who’s going toe to toe with Drago? Any of you guys brave enough.”  
Baron said.  
Before the brawlers started to fight who’s going to brawl against Dan, Keith stepped in.  
"I'm the one who developed this battle gear, and I'm the one who's going to fight except I'm going to fight as Spectra."  
Keith said, putting his mask.  
“That shall be interesting.”  
Blake thought to look at all bakugans, especially Aranaut.  
Mira looked worried, but Dan supported the idea.  
"I know you can do it, Dan."  
Julie encouraged Dan.  
Mira was worried.  
“Remember Drago, we are friends with Keith, but we are brawling Spectra, so let’s give him our hundred percent, okay.”  
Dan was enthusiastic.  
“Of course, there is no question.”  
The four bakugans disappeared and turned into ball forms.  
Spectra grabbed the Subterra and Ventus ones.  
“Helios, I’d like to see what those strange bakugans can do. Why don’t you sit this one out?”  
“I understand.”  
Helios was disappointed.  
“Gauntlet Power Strike.”  
Both guys said.  
"Let's go, Drago. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan stand. Go Pyrus Helix Dragonoid."  
Drago roared.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Rise Ventus Hawktor.”  
The moment Hawktor appeared, he and Drago started to fight physically.  
“Enough.”  
Spectra was getting bored from seeing those two fight mindlessly.  
“What’s that? Running away already.”  
Dan said.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Subterra Cordem."  
“Seriously?! Two against one this early in the battle.”  
“This simulation is useless unless we go all out.”  
Blake observed the battle, agreeing with what Spectra has said.  
Reaper, on the other hand, remembered the moments when Blake rebuilt his body using Gundalian technology and indirectly evolved to his current form and did similar simulations to get where he is.  
The two returned to observing the battle.  
Cordem attacked Drago pretty hard.  
When Drago nearly fell, Spectra called Hawktor to attack.  
Drago was trying to defend himself.  
"Ability Activate Dragon Hummer."  
This ability nullified Hawktor’s attack returning him to his base gs.  
“What?!”  
Spectra was surprised.  
"Dragon Hummer is an ability unique to Pyrus Helix Dragonoid. It puts Drago in hypermobility, hand to hand combat and nullifies the opponent's ability."   
Dan cheekily explained.  
“Take him down, Drago.”  
Drago punched Coredom, but Coredom caught his punch and spun him around like a rag doll.  
Drago escaped but received a surprise kick from Hawtkor.  
Drago fell on the ground.  
“Drago!”  
“These digital clones are not too shabby.”  
Spectra commented.  
“They are mighty opponents indeed.”  
Helios agreed with Spectra.  
“I need to ask Blake more about this.”  
"Ability Activate Galactic Dragon.”  
Drago’s gs increased.  
Spectra wasn’t going to let it stay that way.  
Spectra used ability cards on both Hawktor and Coredom, decreasing Drago's gs to 600gs.  
Drago fired, but his attack was quickly nullified.  
"Come on, Dan, use the battle gear now. That's the perfect time to test it."  
Spectra was getting impatient.  
“Got it. Ready Drago.”  
“Ready Jetkor.”  
A mechanical voice said.  
“Battle gear boost.”  
The battle gear appeared on Drago.  
In the first seconds, it was ok until electricity started emitting from it.  
Drago was in pain.  
Dan looked worried, but Drago assured him everything is fine.  
Spectra tapped a button on his gauntlet, and both Hawktor's and Coredom's battle gear appeared.  
Seconds later, the battle gears appeared on them.  
“You gave them both battle gear.”  
Dan said.  
“You’ve got to stop thinking about this as practice. Fight like your life depends on it. Use your battle gear to its full potential. ”  
Spectra said.  
“Alright, I’m ready for it.”  
The battle gear stroke again, but this time more painfully.  
“Drago, are you sure you are ok?”  
“Yes, I am fine.”  
Spectra called out abilities for both bakugan.  
Drago was struggling to move, but he pushed and was flying higher without malfunctioning from the battle gear.  
“Nice one!”  
Ace commented.  
“Way to go, Drago.”  
But everything was short-lived as the malfunction in the battle gear reappeared.  
“I don’t understand. None of my evolutions hurt like this.”  
Drago was attacked yet again by the two.  
"He is doing pretty well with the mock test battle gear. He is trying to fight with it, which is admirable. Not many bakugans survived past this.”  
Thoughts of when she worked for the Witch, aka Kazarina, emerged, especially when she witnessed the bloodshed history behind the battle gear and the demise of one of her previous bakugans - Darkus Lumagrowl.  
“It seems like his body is rejecting the battle gear.”  
Spectra commented.  
“Drago.”  
Dan was worried.  
“No, Dan. I’m not giving up. I need to go on.”  
“If he continues like this he’ll …”  
“Drago.”  
Dan repeated.  
“His commitment is impressive.”  
Spectra chuckled.  
“If Drago says he can keep going …”  
Helios started the sentence  
“… we should let him.”  
Spectra finished.  
"Let's go, Hawktor, Coredom."  
Both bakugans were ready to attack.  
"Stop it, Spectra! You are not helping Drago."  
Dan was angry.  
“Listen closely, Dan. We need to push him to use his potential."  
"Listen, Drago! Don't let it destroy you!"  
Helios said.  
Dan looked around.  
"I got this, Dan. Let's finish this, Spectra."  
Drago said, determined.  
Dan looked worried but decided to listen to Drago.  
“Battle Gear Ability Activate: Jetkor.”  
“No way, he did it.”  
Spectra was shocked.  
“He beat the odds.”  
Drago used his battle gear and froze both of his opponents.  
The malfunctioning started to appear again, but this time Drago knew how to fight.  
He used his power and sent both of his opponents back to the ball form.  
The brawlers were excited.  
The defeated bakugans were illuminating brightly.  
Blake knew what they did.  
Spectra looked intrigued.  
"We did it, buddy."  
Dan smiled until he saw Drago falling sideways on his hand.  
“It took everything he had.”  
Percival commented.  
"Luckily, we managed to collect enough to create a custom battle gear that won't damage his body."  
“Alright, let’s do it.”  
Marucho was excited.  
"Mira, go help, Marucho."  
Mira’s eyes brightened and nodded.  
"Let's hope the Vexos don't attack in the meantime."  
Shun commented.  
After everything that happened, everyone got teleported back to the real world.  
The brawlers went their separate ways except for Keith and Blake."  
“We need to talk.”  
Keith said, and Blake nodded.  
They were in Marucho’s garden standing still, not caring to sit.  
Before Keith could start talking, Blake has already said something.  
“I presume you want to ask me something about the Phantom Data.”  
Blake said making quotation marks around ‘Phantom Data’ as it wasn’t so unknown to her or Keith.  
“How did you know exactly what I was about to ask?”  
Keith, as he wasn't an easy person to read.  
“Psychology is one of my main hobbies. I think we should leave it at that as we have more important things.”  
Keith nodded.  
“My theory turned out to be correct with Neathia being the one who sent the Phantom Data. The Bakugans prove that.”  
“What is the connection?”  
Keith asked.  
“The bakugans are from Neathia. There’s nothing deep about this.”  
Blake explained.  
“I see.”  
Keith said, pleased with the explanation.  
Later that day, Blake decided to share what she said to Keith with the brawlers.  
"Let me get this straight. What you are trying to say is that the Phantom Data is an S.O.S message from a planet called Neathia, which is also trying to find allies for a war against a planet called Gundalia.”  
Ace said.  
Blake nodded.  
“We are even more screwed now.”  
Dan said.  
“What you are saying is that this war might be the heaviest of all wars against those two planets.”  
Marucho added.  
Blake nodded.  
"Basically, yes. What I shared is a heavily watered-down version."  
Blake said.  
"It's still weird how a Vestal like you are connected to something like this.”  
Shun inserted himself.  
“Life happens, but I’m not going to be philosophical about it.”  
Dan was relieved, as philosophy wasn’t his thing.  
“Dan.”  
Shun looked at him like a parent, ready to scold his child.  
Dan muttered sorry quickly and went quiet.  
“Continue.”  
Shun said.  
“After my parents’ experiment eight years ago, I ended up here on Earth where I met three other people- another vestal called Jean, a neathian by the name of Ethan and half-gundalian half-human hybrid by her alias name Pandora. Pandora's mum died, giving her a Haos bakugan to finish an unfinished business she couldn't do when she was alive. That lead to me, Pandora and Jean going to Gundalia. Ethan stayed on Earth as most Gundalians are pretty hostile towards neathians. Then we met three other Gundalians-Rex, Misty, and J. We became a group of underground brawlers.”  
If one noticed the name, J was said with heavy undertones of dislike.  
When Blake finished her sentence with underground brawlers, the brawlers looked confused except Keith, who looked more intrigued even though he had an idea what that meant.  
“What do you mean with underground brawlers?”  
Dan asked.  
"Underground brawlers are those brawlers that do not belong in the competitive leagues, The Twelve Orders or the Royal families ones. Shortly said - your casual brawlers that nobody cares about."  
"In other words, a group of nobodies."  
Mira said.  
"Well, at the start. After some time, I and my back then partner J went on to infiltrate the Twelve Orders for intel. After getting in, I was quickly assigned to the Witch, aka Kazarina – the one behind the Battle Gear idea. I was her assistant. The battle gear was created for an upcoming war between Gundalia and Neathia. That didn't happen but will happen soon, as we all know. I was sent to spy on Neathia for some time. After I collected the needed information and partially fulfilling a will, I was about to leave for some documents. Still, the Witch snapped by killing my bakugan partner back then-Darkus Lumagrowl.”  
Ace looked shocked.  
Shun frowned.  
Dan was sad and angry at the same time, followed by Drago, whose form was twitching.  
“Thankfully, I managed to escape with the help of Pandora and her uncoordinated aim, but I made sure to fake my death, so there won't be a search party after that. After things cooled down, a bakugan contacted me telepathically to become partners. At first, I declined as I haven’t moved on from Lumagrowl’s death, but she continued pestering me for some time, and I accepted because the headaches she was causing me were unbearable. When I accepted, she revealed herself and her name – Darkus Ophelia. After that, Pandora and I become a team of two brawling with our bakugans side by side and destroying the phrase underground brawlers. Nobody wanted to mess with us. My friends and I hit the Twelve Orders to stop the war between those two planets. We managed to for a short time as you see.”  
Blake explained.  
“That summarizes my connection with those two planets.”  
Silence.  
“Wow.”  
Dan said.  
“You lived on the edge.”  
Baron had eyes bigger than pancakes.  
“I never took you for a person that liked extreme things, Blake.”  
Keith thought.  
Blake quickly glanced at Keith’s direction and rolling her eyes in her mind, knowing what Keith is thinking.  
“Interesting.”  
Shun said, satisfied with the current information. He wanted to know more but decided it would be a bad idea to ask now.  
“Such information shouldn’t be withheld right now. Thankfully the war hasn’t started, so you shouldn’t worry now.”  
There was a relief.  
Blake wanted to leave, but Helios approached her.  
“Can you tell me what the original battle gear was supposed to be?”  
Helios was curious.  
"The battle gear was supposed to be inside a bakugan with no way of removing it. Sometimes bio parts from other bakugans were used. It wasn't the only machinery. Just imagine some of your limbs attached to Drago with added machinery inside."  
Blake said.  
“I did not need that mental image in my head.”  
Helios said, flying like a headless fly in an attempt to forget it.  
Keith chuckled, and the others laughed.


	22. Chapter 22

A fluffy greenish-brown cat was walking among the crowded streets in Wardington. Nobody bat an eye on the cat as the sight of street cats was common and not something unusual.  
The cat walked alone until it reached a less crowded area, showing its true colors by looking playful and determined.  
Meanwhile, in Marucho's place, Drago was resting from a battle.  
"Way to go, Drago."  
Dan smiled at his bakugan.  
The other brawlers minus Keith and Blake were happy and celebrating.  
When the brawlers went to sleep, Blake and Keith snuck in the garden.  
It was silent for a bit.  
"So, you got to know of my extreme life."  
Blake said.  
“Way to start a conversation, but indeed, that’s right. I did not expect that from you.”  
Keith replied.  
“I do have my secrets and speaking of which, you know about me, but I barely know anything about you from that period.”  
Blake said seriously.  
Keith expected she would ask him for this at some point.  
Blake was quite expecting him to talk.  
"After your disappearance and presumed death, Mira and I were sad. We even had to witness an empty burial."  
Blake was shocked.  
“I’m sorry that you had to witness this.”  
Blake said, feeling bad.  
“Don’t worry.”  
Keith assured her.  
"After that, my dad was starting to become consumed with his work, and I started taking care of Mira. It was hard at first but slowly became manageable. I taught Mira how to brawl. At the same time, the bakugan enslavement happened. Unfortunately, my dad helped with that. I had to pretend I wanted to help my dad. Both of us won something. I benefitted most. I was determined to stop this whole thing and to do so, I became a member of the Vexos. I had a plan from the beginning. All I had to do was earn their trust and wait for the perfect moment.”  
Keith explained.  
Blake was impressed.  
“You and I have some similarities.”  
Blake said.  
“To a certain extend.”  
Keith said.  
"That's obvious, Sherlock."  
Blake sassily said.  
"If you say so, Ice queen."  
Blake laughed.  
After that, the two enjoyed the silence.  
“I think we should go.”  
Blake yawned.  
Keith nodded.  
Keith wanted to kiss her, but there were sounds from the bushes.  
“Who’s there?”  
Blake asked.  
Keith started looking at the source of the sound, but there was nothing.  
“Weird.”  
Keith said.  
The two decided to leave.  
The next day was relatively normal.   
Keith and Marucho were looking at Drago's stats, which were improving quickly, given the short amount of time.   
Blake looked impressed.  
“Good job, buddy.”  
Dan smiled.  
“It wouldn’t be possible without you guys.”  
Drago said looking at everyone.  
"Way to go, Master Dan, Master Drago!"  
Baron was excited.  
Dan smiled.  
The brawlers were happy until a noise occurred nearby.  
“What was that?”  
Mira asked worriedly.  
“That’s the same noise as yesterday.”  
Keith thought.  
Shun, Dan, and Ace were ready to defend everyone.  
Blake pretended to ignore it.  
The sound stopped, and from the shadows, the fluffiest cat appeared.  
“A cat?”  
Marucho raised an eyebrow at the creature.  
Baron had stars in his eyes as this is the first time he sees an animal from Earth.  
“How did it get here?”  
Shun asked.  
“I don’t know. Probably one of the many cats my mom has.”  
Marucho said, thinking of a solution to return the cat to his mother.  
On the other hand, Mira, Runo, and Julie started squealing from the cat's cuteness.   
“So cute.”  
Julie squealed, petting the cat on the head. The cat didn't mind. It seemed to enjoy it.  
“I’ve never seen such fluffy cat.”  
Runo said with stars in her eyes.  
The boys were weirded out by the girls’ behavior.   
Blake looked thoughtfully at the cat to the point one may consider she is sending daggers.  
Keith wanted to laugh at this sight but decided not to.  
Mira joined the 'let's pet the cute cat bandwagon,' but unfortunately for her, the cat slipped with a Cheshire grin on its face.  
“What the?”  
Mira didn’t finish her sentence, as Keith looked at her.  
The cat strictly went to Blake, purring near Blake’s shoes and then suddenly jumping on her shoulder and looking like a parrot.  
“That’s weird. I’ve never seen a cat doing something like that.”  
Marucho said.  
The others looked at each other.  
Reaper started laughing.  
The cat started purring.  
“It seems it likes you.”  
Mira commented.  
“Yeah.”  
“A bit too much if I have to be honest.”  
Blake knew the cat’s intentions, but she was going to keep quiet.  
“You look so cute together.”  
Julie said.  
“I don’t think so.”  
Blake replied.  
The cat quickly got bored and climbed on Blake’s head.  
The girls and Baron laughed at the sight.  
“There is nothing funny about this.”  
Blake said unamused.  
As on cue, the cat dropped its tail near Blake’s mouth.  
“See.”  
Blake said, getting some fur inside her mouth.  
She coughed, removing it and still having an unamused expression.  
The cat had an even bigger Cheshire grin.  
"Is it just the cat, or I am looking at us very strange."   
Baron commented.  
“I can’t see, so I don’t know.”  
“But probably it is.”  
Blake struggled to remove the cat of her head until the cat decided to lose its body, but at the same time, it did something else. With its front paws, it ruined Blake's bangs, making them fly in each direction and revealing some burnt skin where her eyebrows should be and a forehead scar around the edge.  
At last, Blake removed the cat from her head, dropping it gently on the floor like a pillow, but the bangs had to pay the price.  
“Tch, stupid cat.”  
Blake said annoyed.  
Without her bangs, Blake looked furious even though she was far from it, simply because she lacked eyebrows and a scar on her forehead.  
“Why is your face different?”  
Dan asked.  
“Nothing happened. Next question.”  
Blake snapped but retained her normal voice.  
This shocked everyone in the room.  
“Um, Blake, you don't need to be so pissed off at the cat."  
Mira said, trying to calm Blake.  
“The cat ruined my bangs.”  
Blake said trying to regain her calmness.  
“Those are just bangs.”  
Mira said.  
“Bangs that cover two facial scars that I’m not proud of.”  
Blake said looking at the floor.  
“Oh.”  
Mira felt that she rubbed a sore spot and kept quiet.  
Luckily Blake quickly calmed down, returning to her normal self, which surprised everyone.  
What happened seconds ago never happened. That’s what it felt like it.  
When the cat sensed that Blake was calm it jumped on Blake’s waist, hugging it.  
Blake facepalmed, but at this moment, the cat transformed into a tall girl with a copious amount of lime green hair and grinning at the sight of Blake.  
“Jackpot.”  
The girl said, showing her sharp teeth that could put any shark into shame.  
“Just great.”  
Blake was sarcastic and not looking forward to dealing with Pandora.


	23. Chapter 23

The lime haired girl with copious amounts of hair continued to grin while hugging Blake. Blake was not happy and was visibly unamused by the situation.  
The brawlers were visibly confused at the situation.  
"You have the talent to appear in the most inappropriate times. You know that."  
Blake said, looking at Pandora annoyed.  
“Drop your sarcasm, sis.”  
Pandora said.  
Blake glared at the corner of her eye.  
Everyone was confused about what's going on.  
"Sis? Ok, what's going on?"  
Ace looked around.  
“Do you know each other?”  
Dan asked.  
"Obviously. Dan, why else would you refer a stranger with sis?"  
Runo looked confused, but it was apparent they knew each other.  
“Know is an understatement.”  
Blake said.  
The girl chuckled.  
Ace looked curiously at the girl. She is even more suspicious than when Blake wore Hades's mask, and that said a lot.  
Baron and Mira looked at each other, wondering what just happened.  
Shun was observing to create his conclusions of this person.  
Dan, Runo, and Julie were confused.  
Keith was neutral, but so far, she reminded him of a less annoying and more sarcastic version of Shadow Prove.  
"I go by the name of Pandora. Blake's former partner and adoptive sister.”  
Pandora grinned.  
“Add life-drainer to the list..”  
Blake added.  
“Ouch, that’s brutal.”  
Dan and Baron thought at the same time.  
“The apathetic kuudere hit again.”  
Pandora said in a fake-hurt manner, making Blake roll her eyes.  
“I’m messing with ya.”  
Pandora returned to her joker-like attitude.  
Blake was silent.  
“I didn’t know you had sister, Blake.”  
Keith said.  
“Her family adopted me when I got on Earth.”  
Blake simply answered.  
“I consider myself her little adoptive sister.”  
Pandora said, still grinning.  
Blake sighed.  
She didn't want to take part in the upcoming conversation, but she had no choice.  
“Whatever.”  
Blake said.  
“You didn’t answer my question.”  
Pandora rolled her eyes behind her black glasses.  
“Ah, right that question. To put it simply, it just happened.”  
Pandora grinned, showing her shark-like teeth.  
“Are you serious?”  
Ace’s patience was melting.  
Blake sensed that and nudged Pandora with her elbow to indicate just to tell the truth as it's her best option.  
Pandora playfully glared at Blake through the glasses.  
“Messing with, ya, again. My unannounced visit is due to someone not answering my messages in over a week.”  
Pandora judgementally looked at Blake, who, in turn, had the blankest face possible.  
The brawlers then looked at Blake.  
“You know damn well why I didn’t answer you. Don’t act like the innocent one.”  
Blake stated seriously.  
"Oh ho ho."  
Pandora smirked.  
“I’m getting confused here.”  
Nemus popped on Baron’s shoulder.  
Baron nodded.  
“Don’t be.”  
A new voice said.  
“Who’s there?”  
Ace asked.  
A Ventus bakugan revealed itself from the copious amounts of hair.  
“That shall be me.”  
The Ventus bakugan flied around Pandora.  
“I see you’ve woken up from your nap, Blick.”  
Pandora said.  
"With that noise, which wouldn't."  
The bakugan said.  
“Shut up, Blick.”  
Pandora muttered.  
“How did you manage to get here?”  
Marucho asked straight to the point.  
"Ah, right. Long story short. I'm a hybrid- half-Gundalian, half-human if Blake hasn't told at some point. I walked around in my cat form around here, got bored, deciding to fly around, transformed into a raven, saw this gigantic building, looked around. I decided to rest on a tree as it was getting dark until someone threw a ball rather harshly, kicking me from the tree and scoring a goal like in a basketball game, and the hoop is a blind spot with missing glass in your garden. That sums up everything. The fool's lucky shot."  
Pandora chuckled at her explanation.  
"Wow. I don't know if I should be amazed, worried, or disturbed."  
Marucho said.  
“Wow.”  
Dan said.  
“What can I say? My Gundalian side has a strong skeleton, well as strong as a hybrid can get.”  
Pandora spun goofily.  
Blick was silent as he was used to seeing Pandora’s shenanigans and wasn’t impressed by it.  
Blick sighed.  
"Why are you here, though?"  
Shun asked.  
“Missed Blake.”  
Pandora grinned.  
“Such a cute reunion.”  
Julie said.  
“I know, right."  
Pandora jumped, hugging Blake.  
"I want to dig my grave somewhere far away in the Universe."  
Blake muttered under her breath.  
Pandora heard that and quickly released her with a slight frown.  
“Pandy, is that everything?”  
Blake raised her non-existent eyebrows, making her look like she is frowning.  
Pandora rolled her eyes behind the glasses.  
"There is."  
Pandora said, getting an envelope from a pocket.  
“Here.”  
Blake was surprised.  
Pandora grinned, opening her mouth, revealing a teleportation card.  
“Blick.”  
Blickazard went near her, jumping in her hair.  
“Bye.”  
Pandora teleported somewhere, leaving everyone dumbfounded and confused.  
“What just happened?”  
Baron asked.  
“Only Blake knows.”  
Mira said, looking at Blake.  
“I don’t know myself.”  
“Pandora is the most random and unpredictable person ever.”  
Pandora teleported on top of a roof.  
"Was it a good idea to give the envelope now?"  
Blickazard asked.  
“I trust her. Besides, time is coming closer."  
Somewhere else far away in the nothingness, king Zenoheld was sitting on his throne looking at newer information about the Alternative that professor Clay has sent him and laughing like a madman at the soon to be a successful plan.


	24. Chapter 24

Hours after Pandora left, Keith and Blake waited for everyone to fall asleep so they could not be interrupted.  
Currently, they were inside Marucho's garden on a small date with cola cans in their hands.  
“It’s been a while since we were alone.”  
Keith said, taking a sip from the can.  
"I never knew humans had drinks in a can."  
Keith said, surprised at this revelation.  
“Humans have interesting food.”  
Blake finished her drink.  
“Yeah.”  
Keith replied, looking and smiling at her.  
Blake let a tiny smile, getting on Keith’s lap.  
Keith chuckled, putting his hands around Blake’s waist.  
“Someone’s in the mood.”  
Keith teased.  
"What else, Sherlock?"  
“Touche Ice Queen.”  
Blake chuckled.  
They shared a kiss, which turned into a passionate make out, but stopped themselves before it reached something else.  
“Maybe another time.”  
Blake said.  
“Agreed.”  
Keith replied.  
Blake nodded.  
Keith put his hand on top of Blake’s smiling and kissing her on her cheek.  
Blake let a tiny smile.  
The two stayed like this for some time, enjoying their time in silence.  
"I think we should go. It's getting late, and we should rest."  
Blake said.  
"Yeah, or else we wouldn't be able to wake up at an appropriate time. I don't worry about myself, but you, on the other hand."  
Blake rolled her eyes.  
Keith knew of her sleeping problems but still decided to tease her for it.  
“I miss the times when we slept together.”  
Blake said.  
"We can always do that. Besides, I don't mind when you use me as a pillow."  
Keith said.  
“A very comfortable one at that.”  
Blake smirked, while Keith was the one who rolled his eyes at this.  
"If you want to sleep, I suggest we go now before it becomes too late."  
Keith reasoned.  
Blake nodded.  
The two were holding hands.  
They reached their rooms, which, thankfully, were next to each other.  
“I’m going to get changed. I’m coming in five minutes.”  
Blake said.  
Keith nodded, going to his room.  
Blake entered her room. She saw Reaper’s sleeping form and next to it the envelope Pandora gave her. She was going to deal with this later.  
She quickly undressed not to wake Reaper and put her PJs, which consisted of short shorts, a tank top, and a hoodie if she got cold and tied her hair in a low ponytail.   
She was about to leave when she heard Reaper waking up.  
“Blake, are you there?”  
“Yes, Reaper. Anything wrong?”  
Blake asked.  
“Where are you going?”  
Reaper asked.  
“To Keith’s room. Why do you ask?”  
“I don’t want to get crazy in the morning wondering why you aren’t here. That’s all.”  
Reaper said.  
Blake knew he made sense.  
She kept quiet and left for Keith’s room.  
She knocked.  
“Come.”  
Keith said.  
Blake entered his room, closing it immediately.  
Unknown to her, Shun was passing by nearby.  
“Why is she going in Keith’s room? Or…”  
Shun thought, blushing slightly at the thought.  
The room was nearly dark as the light source came from the night lamp, which wasn’t very bright.  
Keith had just put his shirt and laid on his bed.  
Blake followed and snuggled in his bed.  
At this moment, Keith turned off the night lamp. The darkness consumed the room.  
Keith kissed Blake’s forehead.  
“Good night, Ice Queen.”  
Blake was immediately asleep.  
“Sleep well.”  
Keith said, looking at sleeping Blake, who let out a tiny smile.  
Blake got closer, using his chest as a pillow.  
Keith chuckled.   
The two were hugging each other for the rest of the night.  
Morning came.  
Blake was still sleeping peacefully on top of Keith’s chest.  
“Blake, it’s time to get up.”  
Keith said, trying to wake her up with his free hand.  
Blake quietly groaned and slowly started to open her eyes, trying to register her surroundings.  
"Morning, Keith."  
Blake stood but was still in bed.  
The hoodie was slightly undone, revealing part of Blake's collarbone.   
"I slept so well."  
Blake stretched herself.  
After that, she kissed Keith on the cheek.  
“A kiss on the lips would have been better.”  
Keith said.  
"Maybe later. I need to change my clothes.”  
Blake said, smirking, leaving Keith's room.  
She opened the door to her room.  
Reaper went near her.  
"Morning, Blake."  
“Morning Reaper.”  
Blake said, picking up her clothes, usual clothes and started to dress quickly.  
Blake then picked the envelope Pandora gave her yesterday.  
“Are you sure you want to open it now?”  
Reaper asked her.  
Blake was holding the envelope.  
“I need to know what she has sent me. It can be everything.”  
Blake said, proceeding to open it.  
Reaper didn’t try to stop her.  
Blake opened the envelope, surprised by the contents.  
“Photos?”  
Blake started to roam through the photos.  
Those photos were taken after she left Kazarina.  
The first one was her and Katrine, way before she decided to refer herself as Pandora, sitting in front of their base in Gundalia chatting.  
“I remember this like it was yesterday. Mist took the photo. I told her not to take the photos, but I'm glad she did."   
Flashback  
14-year-old Katrine and 14-year-old Blake were outside. After a successful attempt and leaving the Twelve Orders, confronting J the snake, plus-minus some time for recovery, Blake decided to breathe some fresh air.  
Katrine hugged Blake.  
“Ouch, don’t hug me.”  
Blake demanded.  
Katrine frowned.  
“What?”  
“I’m sad. I just wanted to hug you.”  
Katrine pouted.  
Blake sighed.  
"You hugged the damaged part where I just recently recovered to the extent that I don't have to sleep like a bat so it wouldn't hurt."  
Blake said.  
Katrine had a sad expression.  
“Please don’t feel sad.”  
Blake said.  
Katrine’s head perked up.  
“I need to apologize for forgetting and causing that scar on your back.”  
Katrine said, looking at the ground, feeling ashamed.  
“Thanks to your poor aim, I am alive."  
Blake said, smiling assuring her.  
Blake didn't like the scar but preferred it from being dead.  
Blake sensed that Kat was still feeling down and decided to try and cheer her up.  
“Kat.”  
“Yes.”  
“Boop.”  
Blake touched her nose.  
Kat giggled.  
At that same moment, a girl with pink hair and bone structure shaped like kitty ears jumped out of nowhere with a camera and quickly taking some photos of the two.  
“Mist, delete those photos this instant.”  
Blake demanded.  
“I don’t feel comfortable with photos.”  
Katrine said with an angry face.  
“Pfft, no way. You two look cute.”  
Blake and Kat didn’t like this.  
“No way, Skellington. Do I need to spell it out for you? N-O W-A-Y.”  
Mist said, running towards the inside of the base.  
"I'm keeping them. Don't care."  
There was an echo from the stairs.  
“MIST!”  
Blake and Katrine shouted at her.  
Flashback ends  
Blake chuckled.  
"Good thing you were stubborn, Mist, and didn't delete it.”  
Blake said with a sad smile that turned into a grim expression knowing that Mist wasn't among them.  
The next photo was Katrine, Blake, and Jean in search of Darkus Ophelia.  
Flashback  
“Follow me in the forest.- that’s what Ophelia said.”  
Blake said, irritated.  
“Look at it on the positive side. At least you managed to find a bakugan partner quite fast.”  
Jean said, smiling.  
“I guess.”  
Blake said with a blank face.  
She still couldn't get over the death of Darkus Lumagrowl. Everything was too quick.  
“At least I’m not the one who’s using mom’s bakugan.”  
Katrine said.  
“She had it planned to be given to you once she passed away, but no, you freaking decided to switch to Ventus.”  
Jean said.  
"Haos ain't my thing."  
Katrine said with hands behind her neck.  
“I’m right here, you know.”  
Jean's bakugan Haos Leucrota said, popping out of thin air."  
They walked until they saw a blinding purple light.  
“What is that?”  
Katrine asked.  
Jean was mesmerized, standing in one place.  
Blake was attracted to the light and slowly approached it.  
"Blake, don't do it."  
Jean and Katrine shouted at the same time.  
Unknown to them, Blake was in a trance.  
She stopped, and the light started to disappear, revealing Ophelia's ball form.  
“We finally meet each other.”  
Ophelia telepathically said.  
Flashback ends  
Blake discarded the photo like the previous one, somewhere.  
Reaper looked at her curiously.  
“Why that?”  
“I have some mixed feelings for it.”  
Blake said.  
She passed through some photos, as they were mostly goofy and ridiculous selfies between Jean, annoying J and Rex, with an occasional Ethan sandwiched between there.  
Blake wondered how did Pandora manage to get her hands on those selfies.  
She then saw Rex's photo in a pink dress, a result of a Truth or Dare game. She quietly laughed, but then remembered a memory behind it. A bittersweet photo as he too was not among them.  
Another photo that showed up was something she thought was deleted.  
It was a photo of Katrine and her when they were fourteen with a sixteen-year-old Jean hours after they left a bar in Gundalia. This photo left a weird taste in her mouth because that was when she tried a bit of alcohol and didn't like it a bit and her first kiss with a drunk to the bone Katrine. She didn’t talk with Katrine for a month after that as she was pissed. How dare she steal her first kiss?! She quickly proceeded with another one.  
The photo was of her and Katrine when they were still fourteen, but this time they were with their masked selves and their bakugans.  
Blake was known as Faceless and Katrine as Nameless.  
She was questioning what the hell was going on inside her fourteen-year-old self.  
The next one was funny. It was a team photo of Rex, Mist, Katrine, J, and her in her aesthetic.  
And the events that led to this were ridiculous as hell.  
It was before Faceless and Nameless were known to the public. Faceless and Nameless decided to go on a brawl against each other, resulting in destroying to a certain extend things that shouldn't have been killed and overall a lot of damage, leading them to lay low along with the others and they weren't happy. But before that, they had to decide how their group would appear in public. One of the first options was with brawling, but that was out of the question. So it led to an introduction to paper sticks.  
The one who gets the stick with red cross wins the game, and from now on, his or hers aesthetic will be the dominant one.  
Surprisingly and unexpectedly, Blake won, much to J's dismay, but he sucked it up.  
They look undead in this photo.  
Blake decided to turn the photo backward, and there she saw in everyone's handwriting their names and code names.  
Blake as Faceless  
Katrine as Nameless  
Mist as Rogue   
Rex as Xrater  
Jean as Angelus  
J as Difax  
Blake chuckled, remembering she convinced J that Difax was just a weird name, but in reality, it was two words from a dead human language called Latin, meaning two-faced. To this day, J doesn’t know that she played him like that. Blake chuckled at the thought.  
“Why are you laughing like that?”  
Reaper asked as these are one of the few times he has seen Blake showing correctly her emotions, the other when she is around Keith.  
Ït was to extend hard due to her apathetic nature.  
“Let’s just say I remembered a memory that was golden.”  
Blake simply said with an unmistakable grin plastered on her face.  
“If you say so.”  
Reaper replied.  
Blake got to the last photo, which was a collage of the six being in one place.  
Mist did it back then, because half of their group couldn't stand each other. It was mainly her and J as no matter what they couldn't stand breathing the same air, let alone be in one room as the atmosphere went from casual to silent and deadly. Rex, on the other hand, managed to piss everyone off at the same time. Combined with the two constant disputes and Rex's talent to piss everyone off, the room was unbearable, so they decided always to do online meetings that required so many passwords and precautions that made some annoyed, but in the end, they sucked it up.  
“Good old times.”  
Blake said.  
“You miss those times, don’t you.”  
Reaper said.  
“Not so much, if I have to be honest. It was just emotions that resurfaced after a while.”  
Blake said, putting the photos on a pile on top of the envelope. Then a note flew around the room.  
“Blake, look.”  
Reaper went near the note.  
Blake picked it up, looking at it questioningly until she read the note's contents, leaving her with wide eyes.  
“It can’t be.”  
She decided to put the photos along with the note back in the envelope like it wasn't even open and left the room with Reaper.


	25. Chapter 25

Blake was walking in the hallways.  
Reaper popped on her shoulder.  
“You are calm.”  
Reaper said, surprised.  
“Why should I not be calm?”  
Blake asked him.  
"I don't know. Usually, when one remembers about the past, starting to act strange isn't unusual."  
Reaper said low-key referring to when Blake has unusual outbursts, because of her improper way of displaying her emotions.  
“Have you been reading my psychology books?”  
Blake asked, looking at Reaper's direction.  
"It's inevitable. You had those books opened everywhere when we were back on New Vestroia, and when you slept, I read them out of boredom.”  
Blake chuckled.  
“What?”  
“Nothing, just surprised.”  
Blake chuckled, not looking where she was walking and bumped into Ace.  
"Watch it next time."  
Ace said.  
“Sorry.”  
Blake chuckled, going away.  
Ace continued walking until an idea popped in his mind.  
"Percival, what do you say about a little battle?"  
Ace whispered to Percival.  
“I’m for it.”  
Percival replied quietly.  
Blake pretended not to hear them, making her snicker in her mind.  
“Let’s brawl.”  
Blake stopped in her tracks, chuckling and faced Ace.  
"I did promise you we would brawl when I was Hades, but that doesn't depend entirely on me. What do you say, Reaper?"  
“All the yes.”  
Reaper replied, itching for a fight.  
"Good, in fifteen minutes, come to Interspace."  
Ace said, walking away.  
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was in Interspace.  
“What’s going on?”  
Baron asked.  
“Ace challenged Blake.”  
Mira said.  
“Wow.”  
Baron said.  
“I’ve never seen Blake brawl.”  
Runo said.  
“Me neither.”  
Julie added.  
Keith looked at the upcoming battle.   
“Time to improvise.”  
“I will fight with no mercy.”  
Ace declared, putting on his gauntlet.  
“I do not expect anything else.”  
Blake replied with the blankest face and voice devoid of any emotion.  
“Gauntlet Power Strike.”  
Both Darkus brawlers said at the same time.  
“Gate Card Set.”  
Ace threw his gate card.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Darkus Knight Percival.”  
Percival crossed his arms.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Darkus Reaper.”  
Reaper made an epic entrance with his scythe.  
"Ability Activate Darkus Double Slicer."  
300gs were added to Reaper. From 700gs, he went to 1000gs.  
Percival dodged the attack.  
“You missed.”  
Ace said.  
Blake was quiet.  
The brawlers were weirded out.  
“What is she doing?”  
Runo asked.  
“I don’t know.”  
Julie said.  
Then it happened.  
The second hit from Darkus Double Slicer appeared out of nowhere and started following Percival like a deadly boomerang trying to hit its target.  
“Look.”  
Shun pointed out.  
Runo and Julie were shocked.   
Reaper’s second attack was following Percival everywhere until it hit when he wasn't paying attention.  
“Ability Activate Black Out."  
Percival stopped Reaper's attack before it continued further.  
200gs were subtracted from Reaper.   
Those 200gs were then given to Percival making things even.  
"Ability Activate Stray Thunder."  
300gs were added to Percival. From 800gs, he went to 1100gs, making Reaper fall behind.  
Reaper dodged the lightning.  
Blake had an idea. It was going to be repetitive and banal, but that's the first thing that popped into her mind.  
"Ability Activate Shadow Dance."  
Looking at the upcoming scene, this brought memories to Keith when he decided to test Helios's new upgrades, which cost him even more hours to repair it. But today was going to be the first time he would see it on a biological bakugan with no mechanical improvements.  
200gs were subtracted from Percival. From 1100gs, he went to 900gs.  
Reaper's shadow body attacked Percival in all directions. It was so fast Percival couldn't pinpoint which direction on time.  
Percival slowly got dizzier.  
“Possess Reaper.”  
Reaper used the opportunity and possessed Percival’s body.  
Percival screamed.  
The brawlers minus Keith and Shun looked shocked.  
Keith knew what was coming the moment Blake used Shadow Dance, while Shun was more curious and disturbed.  
Percival was fighting for control over his body.  
Ace was irritated because he couldn't use Black Out again. After all, it was apparent and not knowing whether or not it would kill Reaper or simply repel him out of Percival's body.  
Seconds later, Reaper left Percival’s body.  
Percival was barely standing. Before Ace even called out an ability, Reaper used the moment and kicked him, sending him to the other end of the arena, making his return to his ball form.   
Ace lost half of his life gauge.  
Blake caught Reaper’s ball form.  
There was silence.  
Mira, Runo, and Julie were speechless. Reaper barely made a sweat during the brawl.  
“Wow.”  
Baron said.  
“That was quick.”  
Runo stared in shock.  
“The match hasn’t ended.”  
Keith reminded everyone.  
“Not bad., not bad.”  
Ace attempted to taunt Blake, but she could see right through it.  
"If you want to taunt someone, at least learn how to do it properly."  
Blake was unfazed and bored by his memorized cliché line from somewhere.  
“Like you are any interesting.”  
Ace retorted.  
Blake ignored him and threw a gate card.  
“You’ll see why. Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Darkus Reaper.”  
Reaper stood.  
“Bakugan Brawl. Bakugan Stand. Go Darkus Knight Percival.”  
Percival stood to wait for Reaper.  
The two bakugan started to wrestle with each other, not showing signs of either dominance or submissiveness.  
"Not going to let you do what you did last time. Ability Activate Thunder Sword.”  
300gs were added to Percival  
Percival prepared his sword, but Ace wasn’t done yet.  
"Fusion Ability Activate Vermilion."  
Percival’s sword transformed and quickly attacked Reaper.  
Reaper used his scythe to defend himself.  
“Your scythe won’t save you.”  
Percival retorted  
“We’ll see about that.”  
Blake quietly chuckled.  
"Ability Activate Shadow ground."  
Reaper hid his scythe, punched Percival, transformed his body into shadow mass, and hid in the ground.   
“Not again.”  
Ace groaned.  
“Since when did Reaper become a Subterra bakugan?”  
Runo commented from afar.  
Julie shrugged.  
Keith watched curiously, knowing that Blake wasn't precisely on the defensive strategy. Not only that, but something was weird.  
Blake was calculating the possible moves. She used her strong abilities. If she repeats more, it will be obvious, but if she used her last strong ability, she didn't know what Ace would reveal from his sleeves, to say the least, she would be screwed.   
Blake stretched her neck slightly.  
“What’s taking so long?”  
Ace yawned.  
Percival was looking around cautiously.  
Reaper appeared behind Percival with a scythe using a regular Darkus Slicer at Percival.  
Percival barely dodged it.  
Reaper started flying around, pissing Ace and Percival off.  
"Ability Activate Giol Gunner.”  
“Let’s see you dodge that.”  
“Cornered.”  
Dan said.  
“I don’t think that’s the case, Master Dan.”  
Baron said, pointing at Blake and Reaper, who was disturbingly calmer.  
"Ability Activate Night Shield."  
Reaper’s wings started to move and form a shield around him.  
“Do you seriously have to have abilities for everything?   
Ace was annoyed.  
Blake quietly chuckled.  
“Perhaps, but that’s simply not restricting to the abilities that Reaper originally has.”  
Blake cryptically answered.  
"Wait. What?!"  
Ace was confused.  
“Time to see if this will work on another Darkus.”  
"Double Ability Activate Darkus Infection plus Sting.”  
Blake ignored Ace summoning another ability card.  
Everything quickly became an unseeable void.  
The darkness scared a bit Runo and Julie as they were hugging each other for dear life.  
Keith and Shun were calm as rocks in the darkness, while Ace was like a puppy inside a fog.  
It was relatively normal inside the darkness until the Sting ability started to take off.  
Percival’s gs were dropping at such speed, that nobody would expect such thing to happen.  
Once the darkness was lifted, Percival barely stood.  
"Ace, I can't."  
With that, Percival returned to his ball form, resulting in Ace losing the rest of his life gauge.  
“I did not expect that.”  
Blake was shocked. She expected that another Darkus bakugan wouldn’t have a problem with this ability, but she was wrong.  
All kinds of reactions were in the air.  
“She barely lifted a finger.”  
Baron said.  
“You could say that again.”  
Marucho said.  
Shun was silent.  
“This brawl was weird. Something was off. It’s like something trying to emerge on the surface.”  
Keith thought.   
Blake quickly composed herself. She was thankful that this battle ended because parts of her forgotten Faceless persona was starting to emerge. If everything emerged, she would have been engulfed in questionable insanity levels and, later, a lot of questions.  
"Without Hades's mask, Blake is much colder in her brawling style."  
Mira thought.  
Unknown to Mira, that was what Blake wanted to present to people. In reality, she was an average brawler who relied a lot on repeating strategies and twisting it to either make it seem like offense or defense. The abilities alone could easily be nullified. Even if that happens, the damage has been done. In most cases it results in an automatic loss, giving the illusion of a powerful brawler. And the fact that she was masking away her emotions and insecurities made it seem even more believable.  
“Nice brawl.”  
Ace said in a sportsmanlike way. He wasn't going to ask what was that earlier, she said.  
"You weren't bad, either."  
Blake replied, retaining her calm composure.  
Ace chuckled.  
The rest of the brawlers came, and everyone left Interspace.  
Blake was calm until a slight pain entered her head, resulting in her touching the area around her forehead to ease it. Her Faceless persona was trying to get a hold of things even after the brawl ended.  
Keith secretly looked at Blake, asking her with his eyes if she's okay.   
She made a small nod signaling him she's okay.  
Keith knew she wasn’t, but he was going to let it slide today.  
Shun noticed the two’s interaction. His theory is getting confirmed.  
"Guys, let's go and eat."  
Dan said, followed by agreement from everyone, except Blake.  
“I will catch you up later.”  
With that, Blake quickly left, leaving everyone puzzled, but they couldn't do much and left to eat.  
Keith was tempted to follow Blake, but he decided that she needed space to deal with whatever that haunted her mind. Shun noticed the uncertainty in Keith but pretended not to see it.  
Meanwhile, Blake was in her room trying to get rid of her Faceless's persona reappearance.  
“Honestly, I could feel you were becoming unstable the moment you used Shadow Dance.”  
Reaper floated around her.  
Blake would give him a lecture, but this time she was silent.  
"I was close to starting using the same tactics as before."  
Blake said.  
"You can't kill old habits completely. Sometimes they make a reappearance."  
Reaper said.  
“I know, but that’s not the point. I feel like I am at battle with myself now. I shouldn't have viewed the photos, but most importantly, the note."   
Blake was annoyed with herself.  
“What’s done is done.”  
Reaper went near Blake’s shoulder.  
"Unfortunately, yes. I can't do much, but all I can think is to calm down.”  
Blake blankly looked at the ceiling.  
“Yeah.”  
“Thank you, Reaper.”  
Blake still stared at the ceiling.  
“No need to mention it.”


	26. Chapter 26

Dan, Marucho, Shun, and Mira were in one of the many resting rooms in Marucho's mansion.  
Dan and Marucho were chatting among themselves.  
Mira sat on the sofa, thinking about the battle Ace and Blake had in Interspace. Blake's blank expression stayed in Mira's mind.  
Her thoughts so consumed her that she didn't notice Dan getting near her.  
“Mira.”  
Dan sometimes repeated until he got Mira's attention.  
Mira looked at him.  
“Are you ok?”  
Dan asked, concerned.  
“I’m fine. I had something on my mind.”  
Mira forced a smile.  
“Ah.”  
Dan awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.  
Shun was silent throughout the whole time.  
Blake was currently in her room, staring at the night sky from her window blankly. She didn't care about the night's appearance. She just wanted to stare at something that looked void.  
“Seems like I'll be battling with myself again. Why can't I do nothing? You stars stay still, lazy, and with zero care in the universe."  
Blake looked at the stars wanting to glare at them for her faults.  
“I am trapped inside myself in a repetitive petty comedy of my own life. I just want to enjoy life. I am trying to be a better person. Can my past not reappear for a bloody second?”  
Blake was annoyed.  
Reaper got closer to Blake, noticing something he hasn't seen in a while with Blake – determination.  
Blake continued to stare at the night blankly, even bending her neck slightly.  
"Blake, don't do this. Your neck will hurt the next day."  
Reaper fidgeted in all directions worriedly.  
“Don’t care.”  
Blake replied, continuing to stare.  
Reaper sighed. Sometimes his brawler was very stubborn to listen.  
Blake continued to stay in the same position until she felt her balance going off and was about to fall until someone caught her.   
“Keith.”  
Blake muttered quietly  
“Careful next time.”  
Keith said.  
Blake was shocked and returned to her usual composure even if her neck hurt a little.  
Keith chuckled.  
“No need to get worked up.”  
Keith assured her.  
Blake rolled her eyes.  
Keith’s eyes landed on a messy stack of paper situated on Blake’s night drawer.  
“What’s that?”  
Keith went there, grabbing the stack of paper, which by closer inspection, turned out to be photos. Keith noticed those were photos of when Blake was younger. The first photo he saw was with Blake and Pandora. The second was a guy in a tutu.  
Blake went in full panic mode.  
“Don’t.”  
Blake snatched the photos from Keith’s hands and put them around herself protectively. One more and he'll see Blake in Faceless mask and that part of her life she didn't want to share. If Keith continued, he would have reached the bottom where she had her first albeit drunk kiss with Pandora. Why was it captured on a photo was beyond her? It was not the time to think of possible reasons.   
“Step back.”  
Blake said, protecting her photos.  
“I wasn’t going to do anything to them.”  
Keith said.  
Blake went to the corner of her room, ignoring his presence.  
Keith got worried he might have gone a bit overboard with this one and went near her to calm her, and what he saw was something else.  
Blake has quickly put the photos inside the letter, sealing it. Then quickly opened her night drawer and put it inside and promptly returned to staring the night sky.   
Keith felt he was not needed and left Blake’s room.  
Once he left, Helios popped out of nowhere.  
“You nearly screwed yourself over with this one.”  
Helios commented.  
“Like I didn’t know.”  
Keith realized his mistake, and he wouldn't be surprised if Blake ignored him for the next few days.  
Fast forward with some hours, and Blake was sleeping.  
Flashback dream  
Faceless was against a Gundalian Aquos brawler.  
The Aquos brawler had lost nearly his entire life gauge.  
The Aquos brawler knew of what Faceless is but didn't believe the rumors. He should have listened more to his friends. The chances of winning against this entity were small. Faceless wasn't considered a pure living being because everything around it was off, even low-key sinister in away.  
"Ability Activate Water Harpoon.”  
The Aquos brawler called out nervously.  
The attack barely did damage to Faceless’s bakugan, Ophelia.  
Faceless pretended to yawn, still wearing her mask.  
"Are you done yet?"  
Faceless taunted him in her high pitched voice that sounded like one of those possessed dolls at horror movies.  
The brawler was sweating profusely. Every time Faceless spoke, it sends chills to his spine.  
“Ophelia, you know what to do.”  
Ophelia was in a flight position. Her body started to transform into a thick shadow mass that spread everywhere like the flux and attacking everything in sight.   
Screams were heard from the bakugan until it couldn't take it anymore and returned to ball form resulting in the loss of the Aquos brawler’s life gauge.  
The Aquos brawler fell on the ground paralyzed from the whole brawling, while Faceless walked away unbothered.  
Flashback dream ends  
Blake put her hands on her face in annoyance.  
"Ophelia, for Pete's sake, stop manipulating my damn memories.."  
Blake groaned.  
Not so long ago, she told Ophelia to stop bugging her ever again, but this ancient bat doesn't understand the concept of no.  
At this point, Blake has had enough pent-up annoyance that she feared that she might snap at innocent people. Just everything made her want to get some anti-migraine pills.  
The next day due to lack of wish to sleep, Blake was up early. She wanted to go and get some coffee from the outside, but she knew she would sabotage everyone, so she started searching her belongings thoroughly for snacks as she usually has some with her. After fifteen minutes, she found some leftover chocolate. She shrugged, but this is what she had now and had to deal with it.  
Fast forward to a time when everyone was awake, things become low-key strained, but luckily not enough to disrupt the whole atmosphere.  
Hours were passing quickly. Thankfully Blake and Keith had simple interactions such as eye contact, so most didn't suspect anything.  
The next day was like yesterday, minimum interactions. Nobody suspected anything as everyone was under stress as they didn’t know when they will be attacked.  
The third day was like the second. Everyone was too busy. Keith and Blake had a minimum interaction, but this time Blake rolled her eyes at him. Keith ignored it.  
The fourth and fifth days passed. The two were still on the 'ignoring each other' bandwagon.  
On the sixth day, some of the brawlers, mainly Shun and Mira, suspected that something must have happened between those two as they’ve been ignoring each other’s presence too much, but only the latter was going to involve themselves further.  
Once everyone split, Mira went to Keith with a worried expression.  
Keith was puzzled at the sudden boldness, but he had an idea why.  
"How are you, Mira?"  
Keith was going to be casual.  
“Good, but that’s not the point why I am here. What’s going on between you and Blake?”  
Mira was straight to the point.  
Keith did not expect his sister to be this direct.  
“Whatever it’s going, it doesn’t concern you.”  
Keith looked Mira at the eyes.  
Mira didn't have it.  
“I want to help, brother.”  
Mira insisted.  
"I appreciate it, but it's not best to interfere in other people's problems."  
“But-“  
“We will deal with this ourselves.”  
Keith left Mira and went inside his room.  
He sat on his bed in silence.  
Helios floated around him in his ball form. Keith didn’t mind him.  
Some minutes later, he had an idea of how to apologize to Blake, but he would need help.  
The next day after everyone left, he stopped Marucho.  
Marucho raised an eyebrow wondering why Keith stopped him.  
“Do you need something, Keith?”  
Marucho asked.  
“Yes.”  
Keith then proceeded to explain to Marucho the situation. Marucho nodded in understanding and got Kato on the task.  
Kato quickly returned with a small box of chocolate and strawberry donuts, which he gave to Marucho and left. Then Marucho gave it to Keith, and he too left.  
“It’s now or never.”  
Keith was at Blake's door, knocking.  
Blake opened the door slightly, but when she saw it was Keith, she was about to slam the door until he caught it with his free hand and entered her room.  
Blake sighed and closed the door.  
“Well.”  
She crossed her arms.  
“I want to apologize for peeking through your stuff.”  
Keith started talking.  
Blake nodded slowly.  
“And if my spoken apology isn’t enough to satisfy you, I got this.”  
Keith showed the small box.  
Blake looked at it puzzled and reluctantly picked it up.  
She opened it, slowly revealing six donuts. Her eyes sparkled.  
Keith chuckled at her reaction.  
She grabbed a donut and started to eat it. After finishing, she got her attention back to Keith.  
"Apology accepted, but for the future, don't do this again. Only if I allow you or I am willing to share. Understood."  
She firmly said.  
Keith nodded.  
With that, she got back to eating another donut.  
Before Blake could grab a third, Keith grabbed his first donut and started chewing it.  
“I won’t let you eat all of them.”  
Keith teased.  
Blake chuckled, shrugging his action off, but she wasn't prepared for what was about to happen next.  
Keith hugged her.  
Blake was shocked, but she returned the hug.  
“Don’t make me go through such silence ever again.”  
Keith muttered with head in her hair.  
Blake chuckled.  
"Truth to be told, I didn't think you'd apologize that quickly."  
Blake whispered in his ear.  
"I have surprises too, Ice Queen."  
Keith tackled her on the ground, but it wasn’t for long.  
“Keith, get off me. Your body weight is crushing me.”  
Keith quickly stood up before he crushed his girlfriend.  
Blake stretched.  
The two of them laughed, albeit Blake more quietly.  
“Keith.”  
“Yes.”  
“Love you.”  
“Love you too.”


	27. Chapter 27

The next day everything was back to normal. Everyone was in preparation just in case the Vexos attacks.  
To be honest, that's what the brawlers did, for the most part, the previous days, but today, this feeling was unnerving, resulting in a lot of precautions. Plans were discussed left and right.  
As Marucho's home was gigantic, there was a big chance that whoever the Vexos sent, they ought to get lost easily.  
Everyone had their designed role and held its importance.  
Blake looked at her pockets as she kept something that she had stayed in her Vexos coat. She was itching to use for a while, and now that the attacks are happening, she had her excuse.  
Everyone was observing the many installed cameras for any sign of the Vexos  
Some hours later, Shun noticed that Mylene and Shadow entered the building.  
Everyone split and hid according to the plan.  
Keith, Dan, Shun, Runo, and Blake in room one and Mira, Ace, Baron, Marucho, and Julie were in place two.  
Shadow and Mylene split, trying to search for the brawlers as everything was going a little too well, according to Mylene.  
While the two Vexos members were wondering and being lost, Blake put her weaponized glove discreetly.  
It didn't take long as Blake expected, as she heard footsteps and judging by the sound, they were Shadow's.  
He was complaining about the rooms.  
"Seriously, who lives in such a place? How many rooms does one person need?"  
Shadow threw a tantrum that low key looked like disco dances.  
"Nice moves, pal."  
Dan commented from afar.  
"Mind your own business."  
Shadow yelled at the voice until he realized that he was alone.  
"Who said that?"  
Shadow looked around.  
"That would be me fancy feet."  
Dan revealed himself, followed by Shun, Runo, Keith, and Blake.  
Shadow complained.  
Surprisingly he didn't notice Blake, which was going to come in handy for her.  
Shadow launched at Dan, and he hit a wall. Dan let out a painful yelp.  
"We might be outnumbered, but our skills are superior to yours."  
Shadow jumped on top of the fountain in the room, put his hands on his hips condescendingly, and laughed. Immediately after that, he jumped.  
"Shadow kick."  
It was so fast that Dan couldn't see him.  
Dan was close to being hit, but Keith went in defense, stopping Shadow's kick with his bare hands.  
Blake was observing from afar quite impressed.  
Shadow tried throwing some punches, but Keith was quick to dodge them.  
Shadow was about to deliver another kick until he felt a sudden piercing pain in his limbs, like tiny needles.  
This caught everyone's attention in the room.  
Keith raised an eyebrow about what happened.  
Shadow backed away, clumsily landing in the fountain.  
Keith wondered what happened until he saw Blake at the corner with some weird glove, but he assumed it was the shooter. Blake saved him.  
She signaled him to be quiet with her free hand.  
Shadow groaned, trying to stand up quickly, but ultimately failed as he looked like an older man with severe back pain.  
"Who did this?"  
Shadow sounded pissed.  
There was silence.  
The brawlers in this room knew it was Blake's doing, but they kept quiet.  
Blake slowly revealed herself from the shadows.  
"That would be me."  
Blake revealed herself having blank expression to her face, but with a voice that lowkey radiated sinister aura. In all honesty, it wasn't hard to convey such a thing, considering how deep her voice was.  
"Who the hell are you?"  
Shadow tried to move but was paralyzed.  
"I don't think you have dementia. Now think with your two remaining brain cells."  
Blake taunted him in her Hades's voice.  
Dan, Baron, and Ace were holding their laugh.  
Shadow's eyes were wide.  
Evident frustration was visible on his face, while Blake's was smug.  
"You."  
Shadow realized who that was. Shadow tried pointing his finger at Blake. The movements were sluggish.  
"You remember me."  
Blake taunted him.  
"Like hell, I wouldn't."  
Shadow remembered the time when Hades knocked him out in that room with cleaning supplies.  
Shadow wanted to have his little revenge for that time.  
He tried to move, but Blake quickly passed across him, shooting two needles – one on his left arm and the other on the right leg.  
Shadow couldn't move.  
At that time, the other group arrived or to be more precisely only Mira, but was taken as a hostage. Mylene continued to hold the laser blade close to Mira's neck.  
Upon entering, Mylene ignored Shadow.  
"Give us the Data, so we finish the weapon."  
Mylene demanded.  
Shadow stood up after some effort. He barely stood.  
Dan glared.  
"Never."  
"If I were you, I'd be more worried about protecting your precious Mira."  
Mylene taunted, getting the laser blade even closer.  
Shadow was getting back to normal, albeit harder.  
Keith glared at Mylene.  
"Don't hurt her. I'll give you the Data."  
Keith firmly stated.  
The brawlers were shocked.  
"I can't believe he gave up so quickly without putting a fight."  
Baron said.  
"It's hard to be tough when there is lazer on your sister's throat."  
Ace commented.  
"Quit yapping there, or who knows if your sister will still have her head."  
Shadow laughed like a hyena while trying to hold the discomfort off.  
"Can you be faster?"  
Mylene complained.  
"I'm trying, but Hades did this to me."  
Shadow answered.  
"Hades?"  
Mylene said, puzzled until she remembered a face she hasn't seen.  
The two Vexos were then back to silently walking.  
The brawlers were now on an open lift.  
Mylene discreetly glared at Blake, and Blake did the same.  
After that, Mylene broke eye contact with her and looked at Keith.  
Once this mission is done, she'll deal with Hades later.  
"You wouldn't have batted an eye at a hostage – sister or not. We used to have the same desire for power. What happened to you, Spectra?"  
Mylene said.  
Mira argued about that, and the blade got even closer to her throat.  
"I just came to a realization.  
Keith simply said.  
"What?"  
Mylene couldn't believe what she heard.  
"I recognize that I was vain and foolish, just like you now."  
Keith said calmly.  
"Huh."  
Mylene pulled the laser close to him.  
Keith was unimpressed.  
"Chill there, Mylene. We need him alive."  
Shadow mockingly warned Mylene.  
"Patience there, kids."  
Keith mocked the two.  
Everyone in the room was worried.  
The lift stopped.  
Shadow kicked Keith on the butt.  
"Move it, blondie."  
Keith glared at him but remained calm.  
Helios popped out from his hiding aggressively.  
"Patience there, Helios. This is not a battlefield."  
Keith said quietly, so only the brawlers could hear it.  
Marucho realized what he meant and went to the control room.  
"Sly move."  
In the meantime, Keith, Shadow, and Mylene, with Mira still under her blade, went to the platform for entering Interspace.  
"That's space. Where do you keep the data?"  
Shadow fidgeted, looking around like crazy.  
"Patience there."  
Keith said.  
After 3 seconds, a mechanical voice said that they were transporting to Interspace.  
"What the?  
Shadow couldn't finish his sentence.  
Keith had a triumphant smirk.  
"Why you?"  
Mylene glared at him while they were still transporting.  
Once they were transported, Mylene was shocked, looking around. Shadow demanded to be transported back.  
Keith explained that he had no control over this realm.  
After that, Marucho started explaining what Interspace is.  
"I love it. Keith is the master of the fraudulent act. Even had me fooled."  
Dan was impressed.  
"Yeah, right."  
Blake thought sarcastically, not believing one thing from Dan's mouth.  
In the meantime, Keith left the chat giving a place for Spectra to enter the battle.  
It wasn't even ten minutes into the battle, and Spectra has destroyed Shadow's bakugan MAC spider.  
Shadow fell on the ground, speechless and shivering like a Chihuahua.  
Mylene looked disgusted at him and quickly continued with her battle. This time the fight wasn't so quick as she gave Mira a hard time. Mira was close to being shot, but Spectra quickly threw Helios on the battlefield to help, and as soon as he appeared, he promptly left.  
Maccubas and Wilda were having one on one.  
From the other side, the brawlers were rooting for Mira.  
"She can do it. I know she can."  
Dan could feel that Mira will win.  
Blake looked at Dan and then at the battle on the screen.  
Wilda's attack was getting powerful by each passing second. Maccubas couldn't fight anymore and was scorched, leaving little remains in his way.  
"Yeah."  
"You did it, Mira.  
The brawlers looked visibly happy for their teammate except for Blake.  
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"  
Blake thought.  
Her gut was right when she saw Mylene revealing a sphere that looked like a bomb.  
Mylene touched it, resulting in its activation.  
The bomb was destroying Interspace.  
Underneath Mylene's unbothered façade, she was shocked to the bone as she didn't expect what was coming next.  
Spectra removed the mask and became Keith again.  
The siblings tried to convince Mylene to join, but she refused to tell them she'd rather die.  
Keith and Mira returned to the real world safely while the two Vexos were getting consumed by Death bomb Mylene threw.  
Mira and Keith fell on their knees. They were close to saving those, but at the same time, they were far away.  
"Are you ok, guys?"  
Dan ran to them.  
"I had her."  
Keith blankly said.  
Blake looked at them sympathetically because she knew the feeling of losing teammates, whether it be former or current ones.  
The ride to the meeting room was deathly silent.  
Once up, the atmosphere became so silent that one could hear their breathes and heartbeats. But then again, who wouldn't be like that after they've witnessed death.


	28. Chapter 28

After the Interspace incident, the atmosphere became dull, silent, and depressing.  
Two hours have passed since the Interspace incident.  
It was as silent as ever.  
Nobody made eye contact with anybody inside the room. There weren't many people inside – just the guys plus Blake as Runo, Julie, and Mira went somewhere else.  
“Sorry to make you wait.”  
Julie and Runo said at the same time, while Mira pulled a cart with cake on top.  
This caught everyone's attention...  
“The cake is to bring the mood up.”  
Julie smiled.  
“Sweet. I’m picking the strawberry on top.”  
Dan was about to get the strawberry until Runo slapped his hand.  
“Where are your manners?”  
Laughter was heard from the room.  
Julie sliced everyone a piece of cake.  
"This is to celebrate Keith, Helios, Blake, and Reaper becoming part of the family."  
Julie and Runo said at the same time.  
Keith smiled while Blake was awkward at the moment.  
Blake stayed for a while until she decided to sneak back into her bedroom as she could feel she accumulated enough exhaustion for the day.  
“That was quick.”  
Reaper commented.  
“I’m exhausted both mentally and physically.”  
Blake yawned.  
It didn’t matter if there was a cake there, all she wanted to do was nothing.  
Blake stared at the note and its contents. It read, "She is coming."  
Even without putting any name, she knew the note was referring Ophelia. Despite telling her to back off from her life, she insisted on being part of her life.  
“Stupid ancient bat. Can’t she just leave me alone?”  
Blake muttered.  
“Careful there who you call that.”  
An apparition of Ophelia appeared in her room.  
“Whatever.”  
Ophelia was silent.  
"Why are you still here? Didn't I tell you that I want you to leave me alone?"  
“I am still your bakugan, and you are my brawler.”  
“Not anymore. It’s not the past.”  
Blake said, surprised at herself. She was finally fighting her past.  
Her past won't be the main focus of her life.  
"Says who? You are the last person to talk about the past. You can't fool me, Oddie. You may say you want to, but wasn't that you used some of my ability cards to modify and give them to your current bakugan. ”  
Ophelia was smug.  
“Yours were the closest abilities Reaper could synchronize with.”  
Blake said.  
"Those actions speak louder than you want me back."  
Ophelia said.  
“Enough of your bullshit. I still have health problems, because of you. Thanks to you, I've been having sleeping problems for six years. That alone moved me to my coffee addiction, which also fucked up my vocal cords. You are the clingiest bakugan partner I've ever had. I was close to becoming insane. I'm done with you. I don't want to be your partner at all, as you've caused enough damage. Leave me be."   
Blake gave her a piece of her mind.  
The apparition was quiet.  
Blake groaned.  
"Of course, as always. You dislike being confronted."  
Blake flopped on her bed. She could feel the upcoming headache.  
The apparition sighed.  
“I’m sorry for everything I’ve caused you.”  
Ophelia said.  
Blake had wide eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  
“Please let me make it up to you.”  
Ophelia said.  
Blake looked at Reaper, not knowing how to proceed with the conversation.  
“How do you even plan to do that?”  
Reaper was the one who proceeded the conversation as he could see that Blake was still shocked by the turn of events.  
“I want to participate in the last battle.”  
Ophelia said.  
Blake and Reaper looked at each other. What should they do as this was an even bigger turn of events?  
"I will let you battle alongside us, but make something funny, and I will personally end you."  
Reaper said.  
Blake was shocked but appreciated the help Reaper was giving her.  
“Deal.”  
Ophelia’s apparition said disappearing and in its place appeared a bakugan in its ball form.  
Reaper looked at the ball’s direction.  
“Ancient bakugans, you know.”  
“Right.”  
Reaper replied, going near Blake's bed.  
“I suggest we rest.”  
Reaper said.  
“Not happening.”  
Blake said.  
"But why? Didn't you say you had sleeping problems and Ophelia subtly implying that she won't disturb you in your sleep this time?"  
Reaper asked.  
"I want this to finish. Besides, I'm on so much sugar. Even simply staying in my bed in the dark won't help me fall asleep."  
Blake reasoned with Reaper.  
“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”  
Reaper encouraged her.  
Blake chuckled and flopped on her bed.  
“Maybe it isn’t so bad.”  
Blake muttered.  
Her eyelids were starting to close, and through them, she saw a fast-moving star, which was, in fact, the Vestal Destroyer, and fell asleep for real. No dream manipulations, telepathy talking, headaches, and insomnia. Just a top quality sleep. Something she didn't imagine was possible.


	29. Chapter 29

Keith, now Spectra, was inside the Vestal Destroyer checking some things.  
He thought if he should have brought Blake with him, but quickly brushed the thought.  
“Time to blow the house down.”  
Spectra teleported the Vestal Destroyer near Mother Palace and activated two blades that smashed through the walls.  
The Vestal Destroyer slid perfectly through the corridors destroying everything in its way until it reached Zenoheld’s throne room. It was paper close to decapitating Zenoheld.  
“He is a dead man.”  
Zenoheld said through gritted teeth.  
An entrance appeared on the Vestal Destroyer, revealing Spectra.  
The guards were alerted and ready to attack, but Spectra didn’t care and ignored them.  
“Hi there.”  
Spectra greets in a calm and mocking voice.  
“Tell me why I shouldn’t finish you on the spot.”  
Zenoheld angrily said.  
“Do you want to know why I am here?”  
Spectra quickly said.  
“I don’t care. All I want to do is crush you cockroach.”  
Zenoheld declared removing his cape and putting on his gauntlet.  
"Bring it on, old man."  
Spectra taunted Zenoheld.  
“I will take care of you just like I did with your lapdog.”  
Zenoheld said.  
Spectra remained calm.  
“Gauntlet Power Strike.”  
Both said.  
While a battle was going to happen between the two, on Earth, the brawlers were awake.  
Mira was searching everywhere for her brother. Unfortunately, she couldn't find him and returned to the girls' room.   
The noise she was making woke the other girls.  
"What are you doing so early, Mira?"  
Runo asked while Julie groggily opened her eyes.  
“I can’t find my brother. I’ve been looking everywhere.”  
Desperation and worry were written on Mira's face.  
The two girls looked at each other.  
“We’ll help you.”  
Both said at the same time.  
"But I told you I'd searched everywhere."  
Mira protested, but honestly, she was happy her friends wanted to help.  
“Don’t be silly. The more people, the faster will find him.”  
Julie pointed out.  
Mira smiled, and the three started looking for Keith.  
The search party was for a short while, as even with three people, it was hard to find him.  
The three girls sighed and went to the boys. They might know something.  
The girls entered the guys' room.  
Julie turned the lamps on.  
Three loud groans were heard from the room.  
“Why so early.”  
Dan yawned until he saw Mira next to him. Suddenly he was awake and stood up.  
“Hey, Mira.”  
“I can’t find my brother. Have you seen him by any chance?”  
Mira asked.  
Dan shook his head for no.  
"Guys, something's up. The Vestal Destroyer is missing."  
Marucho entered the room.  
“Seriously?”  
Baron was shocked.  
“Do you think he went to the Palace himself?"  
Dan said.  
“It’s possible.”  
"As we speak, he is most likely battling against Zenoheld, Hydron, or both."  
A new voice joined the conversation.  
“Blake.”  
The brawlers said at the same time.  
“Morning.”  
Blake was standing near the doorway with two bakugans next to her. That wasn't the only new thing about her. Her hair was in a low ponytail, and she had headphones on her ears. If she was going to use Ophelia in a battle, might as well protect her ears.   
"Are you sure, Blake?"  
Mira went near her.   
“Gut feeling. What I meant is I’m positive that’s the case.”  
Blake said.  
“Oh, ok.”  
Mira calmed down a little.  
“Since when did you have a second bakugan?”  
Dan looked at the direction of the two bakugan.  
“A while ago. It’s a complicated story, but the ancient bat is on our side.”  
Blake explained.  
Ophelia was disgusted and quickly went near her face. It looked like she was scolding her, but there was no sound.  
It looked comically from afar, but to Blake, it was nothing.  
“I think you got your bakugan angry?”  
Baron said.  
"Nah, she is like that half of the time. The other time it's complete silence. But that aside, do you have any plan?"  
Blake said.   
The brawlers looked at each other.  
After quickly changing, Marucho was typing something on his board. Everyone was looking at the holographic screen and Marucho back and forth.  
"Have you found the Mother Palace yet?"  
Baron asked.  
"No, it's much harder than I thought.”  
Marucho said.  
“We should have copied the coordinates from last time we were there.”  
Mira said.  
“How are we supposed to know that we will go another time?”  
Dan realized something.  
"Drago, can you use your teleportation skills?"  
Dan said.  
“It’s plausible.”  
Drago answered.  
"But will need approximate coordinates."  
Ace added.  
Then Shun joined in the conversation sharing his theory that Mylene and Shadow may have left trails when they were last here.  
Marucho tapped on some buttons, creating a map to the Palace.  
Mira’s eyes brightened.  
"Now, we've got a portable map to Mother Palace."  
Ace added.  
Blake was quiet through the time. She could teleport herself there million times if she wanted to, but decided against it.  
“It won’t be that easy. We may have the map, but we need to find the exact trails.”  
Marucho explained.  
After that, everyone tried searching for the trails.  
“There is nothing.”  
Dan complained but continued to search for the trail.  
"It's faint so that it will be harder."  
Marucho explained.  
As on cue, two figures appeared out of nowhere.  
“We were as quick as possible.”  
Professor Michael said, followed with Alice's nod.  
Professor Michael put some weird looking glasses and started searching for the trails.  
“It might take even more than I thought.”  
He said.  
“Alice, Marucho, come here.”  
Both nodded and started helping professor Michael.  
The rest of the brawlers were patiently waiting in another room.  
Gorem and Tigrerra, Julie's, and Runo's bakugans, announced they wouldn't participate in the battle.  
That came as a surprise. At first, Drago tried to convince them not to, but the two bakugans stayed firmly behind their decisions.   
After a while professor, Michael came.  
“We found the trail.”  
Then Marucho showed the map from earlier.  
“Are you ready?”  
Professor Michael asked.  
“More than ready, right guys.”  
Dan said, followed with everyone’s nod.


	30. Chapter 30

The brawlers arrived at their destination.  
“What the heck happened here?”  
Dan looked around, followed by the others except for Blake as she was looking at the Alternative.  
“It’s huge.”  
She said, eyes still glued to it.  
Ace turned, followed by Mira.   
Everyone was in shock.  
“Guys, I need to ask you for something.”  
Blake said, looking at them in the eyes.  
“Please keep your ears safe.”  
Blake prepared her gauntlet. Her two bakugans near it.  
Everyone looked at each other, weirdly.  
“Why that?”  
Baron asked.  
“Trust me, just do it if you want normally functioning ears.”  
Blake explained.  
“Ok. I believe in you.”  
Mira said.  
The brawlers put the gauntlets and threw their bakugans in the air.  
Dan looked at the newly made ruins of the Mother Palace.  
Spectra has now reunited with Gus and was now fighting together like before.  
Currently, Vulcan and Helios were struggling against the Alternative's lasers.  
"Can't those things die."  
Helios dodged a couple of them, followed by Vulcan.  
The brawlers put the gauntlets and threw their bakugans in the air.  
"We need to get closer. From this distance, everything is useless."  
Spectra said.  
“Right, Master Spectra.”  
Gus agreed.  
The two brawlers and their respective bakugans went closer.  
Helios started shooting, trying to destroy the many weapons on top of the Alternative.  
Helios grunted.  
The Alternative then caught Vulcan and Helios.  
“Say goodbye.”  
Zenoheld’s annoying voice was heard.  
Before Blake could call for Reaper's ability, Ophelia transformed into a shadow. It disappeared at supersonic speed, hitting one of the spots on the Alternative, making it glitch and giving some time for the trapped bakugans to leave its clutches.  
The Resistance was on edge. It was the first time they saw a bakugan attacking their own without a brawler to initiate the command.  
Spectra and Gus looked at each other.  
“I didn’t know Reaper was that quick.”  
Spectra thought and then thanked ‘Reaper’ in his mind.  
Ophelia, offended by his thoughts, decided to enter his mind.  
“How dare you compare the original with the copy?”  
Ophelia spoke inside his mind leaving him with a gasp.  
This wasn’t expected.  
Before she could let him reply, she had already vanished from his sight and went very high.  
Meanwhile, Blake was quiet thinking of a strategy until she chuckled. She couldn't believe she was showing another facial expression without a mask, nonetheless.  
Mira discreetly looked at her face full of slight shock. It was something within the wrap that has awakened. Mira could tell it wasn't something awakening for the first time, but more of a fully awake slumber.  
At the same time, Drago attacked the Alternative from above.  
Spectra chuckled lightly, showing his appreciation to Dan.  
Gus was confused at first, but Spectra reassured him with a look that he’ll explain later.  
After that, every bakugan attacked simultaneously, destroying parts of the Alternative.  
Zenoheld didn’t like that one bit and put an ability card to target every present bakugan.  
The next few minutes were full of defensive abilities that fortunately saved the bakugan and gave enough time for the Alternative to recover from the damage.  
“Hmm.”  
Not only did the Alternative looked, brand new, but also equipped with thousands of mechanical bakugan as a party bonus.  
“I can’t believe it.”  
Mira said.  
"This is indestructible."  
Marucho said.  
“Zenoheld.”  
Spectra screamed.  
Zenoheld then started laughing like a psychopath.  
There were doubts among the brawlers if they could even come closer to destroying that thing, but Dan brought the spirit to the group.  
“Everything has a breaking point. We just have to find it.”  
Dan said to which Drago agreed.  
“Now.”  
Without any further due, Blake revealed an ability card for Ophelia.  
"Ability Activate Haunting screech.”  
Blake said rather loudly without realizing it due to the headphones that were about to block any Universe sound.  
Some of the brawlers were confused but brushed it off.   
At supersonic speed, Ophelia flew even higher, quickly revealing her actual form, still leaving some shadow trails around her. Ophelia was a humanoid bakugan that reminded of a humanoid bat in some angles, thanks to her wings. Ophelia wore a black mask around her upper face half connected to her bodysuit that reminded more of a swimsuit. Her arms and hands were covered while her shoulders were exposed. Her overall appearance gave ghostly vibes.   
After that, a piercing and powerful screech formed that would make banshee ashamed and jobless.  
The brawlers minus Spectra and Gus, quickly remembered the tip Blake gave them not so long ago and covered their ears.  
The mighty screech destroyed nearly two-thirds of the mechanical bakugans, leaving them into millions of microscopic pieces.  
The brawlers were shocked, having different expressions to show it.  
Some had eyes wide as saucers while others were pretty stoic, but shocked nonetheless.  
“Blake wasn’t kidding. I swear I still feel my ears vibrating.”  
Baron stated.  
“Does she look like a person to slip a casual joke that easily?”  
Ace rhetorically asked.  
The rest of the mechanical bakugan was quickly destroyed afterward.  
After that, Spectra used the Zukanator, destroying a part of the Alternative and quickly getting inside.  
Blake to extend knew what they were doing, but all she could do was wish them luck.


	31. Chapter 31

After the mechanical bakugan were destroyed, the brawlers had a small sense of victory, but that was relatively short-lived as for seconds, different weapons appeared.  
Elfin Percival, Nemus, and Reaper fought against the weapons, while Ophelia and Preyas were dodging them.  
Vulcan was smashing parts of the Alternative.  
At that moment, Hydron appeared having a smug look.  
“You are back to your daddy as it seems.”  
Gus looked him in the eye.  
Near the Alternative, the brawlers plus Gus were resting for a second.  
Gus discreetly looked at the person who was supposed to be Hades. For him, that was the same person Spectra described back when they were stuck on Earth. He had so many questions that he would ask later.  
"Guys, do you know where Mira and Keith went?"  
Dan looked around.  
“As if that’s going to help.”  
Blake thought.  
"Last time I saw them, they were trying to make holes. Maybe they have found a way in."  
Ingram inquired.  
“If that's the case, we should make our own too."  
Dan said enthusiastically.  
“If we can get there …”  
Marucho started a sentence, but Dan didn’t let him finish.  
“We can defeat them from the inside.”  
Dan said.  
"We need to find the power reactor to make it go boom."  
Shun said.  
The moment boom was mentioned in the sentence; Blake couldn't take him seriously even though she should and without realizing let out a tiny chuckle, which Gus heard, unlike the rest.  
“What’s so funny?”  
Gus asked.  
“Nothing.”  
Blake answered.  
At that moment, Dan summoned Drago's battle gear, Jetkor.  
"Ability Activate Jetkor Level 2."  
Drago shoot and made another giant hole in the Alternative.  
Dan jumped slightly from happiness.  
Suddenly a swarm of robotic bakugans appeared near the hole.  
“Are you kidding me?”  
Dan exclaimed.  
“Go. I’ll take care of the rest.”  
Gus said.  
"You heard it, guys. Let's go."  
Dan said.  
The brawlers minus Blake left with Dan.  
Dan saw that.  
“Aren’t you coming?”  
Dan asked.  
“I’ll help Gus. Now go and don’t waste time.”  
Blake expressed her decision.  
Dan nodded and left.  
"Let's destroy them."  
Blake said.  
“Thought you’d never ask Hades.”  
Gus taunted.  
Blake chuckled.  
The two started fighting.  
Vulcan was punching the mechanical bakugans to a pulp, and of course, that took its toll on his body.  
Ophelia used her shadow form to destroy them from the inside, followed by Reaper's scythe attacks as support.  
The mechanical bakugans kept appearing out of nowhere.  
The three bakugan were close to their limits. Even if Ophelia hadn't fought as much as the others, the abilities she used took some significant toll on her physical self.  
Gus was barely holding onto Vulcan.  
Blake looked at Gus and Vulcan, then at the mechanical bakugans. If she were to use Ophelia's Haunting Screech, she would destroy the mechanical bakugans and hurt Gus and Vulcan further considering their condition.  
“Damn it.”  
As if fate reading her mind, the mechanical bakugan were quickly sliced one after another.  
Blake looked at the direction of the sliced parts of what used to be mechanical bakugans.  
She then saw another Subterra bakugan and a person with blonde hair.  
“Prince Hydron.”  
She thought.  
At that moment, the two guys exchanged something.  
Blake couldn’t hear them that well, but could only guess it was something sad as in the end Hydron looked so done and tired even if he put a front that didn’t say the obvious.  
Meanwhile, the brawlers who went inside the Alternative were facing problems.  
At first, everything was ok until it turned out to be a trap set by king Zenoheld.  
The place turned out to be something similar to Interspace, but also not quite as the power reactor for the Alternative’s power was shoved in the middle of the arena.  
Bakugans beyond from New Vestroia appeared out of nowhere and transforming into their actual forms.  
“I’ve never seen such bakugans.”  
Dan said, looking at the unusual bakugan.  
"Do you know any of them, Drago?"  
Nemus asked.  
“No. I’ve never seen them on New Vestroia.”  
Drago replied.  
Shun looked thoughtful until something hit his thoughts.   
Baron saw something was wrong in Shun’s eyes.  
“What’s the matter Master Shun?”  
Baron asked.  
“I think I know why is that? Remember those times when Blake explained to us about the Battle Gear and Phantom Data additional details.”  
Shun said.  
“Kind of.”  
"Those bakugans are either from Neathia or Gundalia, but my instincts are saying the latter."  
Shun said.  
"Man, I should have tried to convince her better to come."  
Dan said with a bit of pout in his voice.  
“What’s done is done.”  
Drago said.  
“It doesn’t matter now. We’ve got bakugans to defeat.”  
Ace interrupted them.  
Drago, Percival, Nemus, and Ingram started attacking the bakugans.  
After a short while, the bakugans were defeated by the four's efforts.  
“Now it’s time to set the place on boom boom.”  
All four guys shouted their bakugans’ respective abilities destroying the reactor. Small explosions that had no desire to finish quickly started to occur after that.  
"Let's run, guys."  
Shun said, and the four of them left with their bakugans.  
Professor Clay looked in horror when he saw his creation destroyed and was close to fainting.  
Mira was ready to catch him if that happened, but he stopped himself from doing so.  
"This place is going to blow. Father, come with us."  
Keith said.  
"Father, we have to go."  
Mira said after Keith.  
Professor Clay had hesitance in his eyes.  
"Judging from the explosions, they have succeeded. I hope you get out safely. Keith."  
Blake thought while she sat near the hole that was earlier made.   
Marucho and Gus had similar opinions like hers.  
Blake chuckled in her mind.  
She couldn’t believe she was going against the big evil again.   
“The irony, but that’s what I get for making decisions when I’m bored out of my mind.”  
Blake made a discreetly glance between Marucho and Gus and the hallway back and forth.  
While she was there, her two bakugans were conversing with each other telepathically.  
“Are you sure you want to do this?”  
Reaper asked telepathically.  
“Definitely. I don’t think what I’ve caused to Blake be fixed with a simple apology.”  
Ophelia answered.   
“I see where you come from, but don’t you think that’s a bit extreme.”  
Reaper said.  
Ophelia chuckled telepathically.  
"Mind you. This isn't the first reckless thing I've done. Besides, being alive for millions or so years can get boring and uninteresting."  
Reaper was silent.  
"Besides, I am the past that needs to be put aside while you are the present and future."   
Reaper continued being silent. He didn’t know what she was about to say but had a feeling it won’t be a happy ending.  
“I’ve done enough damage. All I am asking is for you to continue taking care of her.”  
Ophelia said.  
"That's what I am already doing. And I still stay by my word that if you do anything funny, I'll deal with you."  
Reaper had thought within his thought, forgetting that Ophelia could hear his thoughts.  
"Anyways, for my parting gift, I'm giving you something that will help you."  
Ophelia said, raising her arm, revealing her hand. She then used it to collect her life essence slowly.  
Reaper was shocked after realizing what she was planning to do, but It was too late to stop her as her life force was extracted fast. Her body showed signs of age until it felt like a badly decomposed corpse and then exploding into dust. Her physical body was no more. All it was left of her was the life essence.  
“Ophelia.”  
Reaper thought sadly. How was he supposed to explain what happened to Blake?  
The life essence circled him like a form of a shield.  
It was not painful, but it wasn't comfortable either until suddenly it possessed his body.  
Reaper groaned.  
Blinding pastel periwinkle light surrounded him.  
It was so light it made Gus, Marucho, and their bakugans double shield their eyes by closing and then putting their hands on their upper faces.  
“What’s happening?”  
Gus asked.  
“I don’t know.”  
Marucho answered.  
Blake squinted her eyes.  
“Reaper’s … evolving.”  
Blake couldn’t believe it.   
He wasn’t supposed to evolve any further. Unless…  
“Forced evolution.”  
Blake whispered, realizing how that happened.  
In five minutes, the blinding light disappeared, revealing Reaper's new form, which was more muscular than the previous one plus getting some elements of Ophelia's form, but it was still obvious it was him.  
“Wow.”  
Elfin expressed.  
"I think you should have done this earlier."  
Preyas commented, which resulted in a lightly punch in the shoulder by Elfin.  
“Let’s get out of here.”  
Vulcan said, ignoring the bickering.  
Blake jumped on Reaper, escaping the incoming explosion with the other two brawlers, but the rest weren't here yet.  
Blake looked at the Alternative blankly until she saw big dots that appeared to be the rest of their group. Everyone looked on the edge. That was until her eyes landed on Mira's, which looked empty and full of sadness.  
After everyone got into one place, Spectra tapped something on his gauntlet, teleporting everyone back in the Vestal Destroyer.  
Seconds after the teleportation, the Alternative exploded along with the lives inside it.


	32. Chapter 32

It was silent in the Vestal Destroyer.  
One should celebrate after winning such a battle, but the loss was the only thing present in the air.  
“What happened with professor Clay?”  
Ace asked.  
Anything can be considered an icebreaker, even asking unpleasant questions.  
“Unfortunately, Hydron sealed his fate along with Zenoheld’s.”  
Gus said.  
Mira was holding the urge to let a tear.  
Everyone was quiet and worried.  
“Mira.”  
Blake sympathized with her understanding of what she was going through.  
“I’m alright.”  
Mira stood with unsureness in her voice and smiled. It felt like her urge to cry suddenly disappeared.  
“Mira.”  
Dan said.  
Blake observed and was impressed with Mira's quickly regained composure but hoped she would let all emotions out once home.  
"With Zenoheld and father gone, we are all safe from harm’s way and can move on.”  
Keith said.  
“It’s over.”  
Dan said.  
“Yes. It’s time to end our journey here and return to Vestal.”  
Mira prepared for a handshake.  
“I’ll admit that I wasn’t your fan when we first met here, but now you are like a part of the family.”  
Mira said.  
"Wow. Thank you, Mira."  
Dan responded, flattered by her statement.  
“Take care of yourself.”  
Dan and Mira shook hands.  
The Vestal Resistance part was saying their goodbyes with their human friends.  
The same could be said about the bakugan of both sides.  
Keith then faced Dan.  
"Dan, try not to get into too much trouble. I won't be there to save you every time, but if you need help, you know where to call me."  
Blake chuckled.  
Keith's side glanced and had a small grin.  
"Blake, even if we hadn't known each other for long, still want to battle with you again.”  
Dan grinned.  
“Sure, as long as we are on the same side.”  
Blake said.  
“Yeah. We are allies now.”  
Gus added.  
Dan smiled, thanking the Vestals once again and Marucho, Shun, and him leaving to the portal going to Earth.  
Mira tried going to the portal, but Keith stopped her, saying she'll meet them again.  
Keith then went to the main control of the Vestal Destroyer and set the coordinates to Vestal.  
The Vestals showed happiness except for Blake.   
“What’s wrong?”  
Mira asked.  
"I haven't been to Vestal for years, and it feels weird."  
Blake said with her poker face.  
“Everything will be okay.”  
Mira assured, going as close to her as possible and hugging her.  
Blake sighs.  
To add to the embarrassing moment, Keith hugged her too at the same time as his sister.  
Blake was now sandwiched between the siblings.  
“Guys, air. You’re smashing my ribcage.”  
Blake said as shades of blue were creeping on her face.  
Mira released her, but Keith decided not to.  
"Seriously, Keith."  
Blake said.  
Keith only hmmed, which resulted in an eye-roll from Blake.  
Baron and Ace were quiet while Mira giggled quietly.  
Gus was confused.  
“Can someone explain to me what the hell happened to those two while I was gone?”  
Gus asked.  
“It’s obvious.”  
Ace said.  
Keith then let go of Blake, who gave a short explanation of what happened to Gus. She didn't mention the relationship part, as it was pretty obvious.  
“I see. I never got you for that kind of person based on Keith’s description before.”  
Gus said.  
It was apparent he was hinting about the fact that she brawled with motorcycles or only just riding one as according to him, Hades, pardon Blake, didn't seem that kind of person, even though he knows not to judge a book by its cover, but still took him by surprise.  
"Yeah. Speaking of which, at some point, I need to go to New Vestroia."  
Blake said.  
“Why?”  
Keith raised an eyebrow.  
“To get my motorcycle and some stuff like my psychology books.”  
Blake answered.  
"For the motorcycle, I understand, but why the books. You can read them online."  
Gus said.  
"Some of those are pretty rare, while others I put my life on the line."  
Blake said.  
Blake could see that Gus wanted to ask questions, just looking at his face.  
"Let's just say some were stolen from my ex-boss risking my life, while others had to wait for days tirelessly in lines.”  
Blake explained.  
“I see.”  
Gus understood.  
"But it's not urgent. We can do this after recharging psychologically as I am sure the recent events were tiring, stressful, and overall negativity is present."  
Blake explained.  
Everyone saw her point, just in time as they were about to arrive in Vestal.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33  
A month later, after the destruction of the Alternative, Keith, Gus, Mira, and Blake arrived on New Vestroia for Blake to get her stuff from there and put it back in her parents' mansion, to which she earned official ownership not so long ago.  
"Wow, I never knew you'd stay here. How come I and the others never noticed you?"  
Mira said with a surprise in her voice.  
The Resistance van was mostly in this area where Blake's cave. How they did not cross paths was beyond her imagination.  
That thought aside, Mira looked around the place with memories resurfacing from the time when they will play different games as kids. Fun times.  
“Indeed is surprising.”  
Gus added his opinion.  
“What can I say? I’m not a day person.”  
Blake said, typing the code for entering the cave.  
The entrance opened itself.  
Mira and Gus went first, while Keith decided to go last with Blake.  
“It’s noticeable.”  
Keith whispered.  
“Shut up.”  
Blake scoffed and went further from Keith, to which he chuckled.  
Now that everyone was inside, the entrance closed automatically.  
The entrance hallway of the cave was long and wide. There wasn't much stuff around this part of the cave as it was devoid of any furniture. There were two nearly transparent-looking doors right next to each other. In reality, if one could look closely, though, the ground was scorched beyond imagination, and parts had some dried blood.  
Keith glanced through the doors directly at the dried blood, quickly returning his attention towards the others.  
“It won’t take …”  
Before Blake could finish her sentence, an empty bottle of sweet liquor rolled rather loudly on the floor.  
Keith, Gus, and Mira looked in the bottle's direction while Blake raised her non-existent eyebrow and picked the bottle.  
“Strange. I don’t remember drinking this one.”  
Blake held the bottle, guessing that maybe Pandora had drunk it when she told her to pick up the comatose-like bakugans not so long ago.  
Not only that but also the fact that  
“Wow, you must have a haunted cave.”  
Mira chuckled.  
“Far from haunted.”  
Blake walked forward towards the vast hall with the liquor bottle until she reached her messily organized lab, with the computer and the turned-off simulator and the coach in the middle of the room where there were books on top of books. And those were the ones on the table as near her computer there was a shelf with books.  
“You weren’t exaggerating about the books.”  
Keith stared at the books, now fully understanding why Blake wanted them back on Vestal.  
"Haven't seen so many books stacked on top of each other for a while."  
Mira commented, looking around.  
Some of the books had elaborate leather-like covers or textured ones where they'd feel rough when held  
from what was visible.   
Even the coach had books upon closer look, but unlike the somewhat orderly stacked ones on the table, the couch's ones were left to fate. Most of them were opened in grotesque manners that would make any book lover have a heart attack just by sight.  
Keith decided to grab one of the sideway ones that could tear any given second without realizing it himself, starting to read it.  
“A psychological book.”  
Keith continued reading.  
Gus and Mira looked in Keith's direction.  
“Most of the books I own are psychological or either horror or philosophical, plus the ones I smuggled from my Witch boss."  
Blake left the empty bottle of liquor near her computer and grabbed something.  
“Why do you call her that?”  
Gus was confused as, unlike Keith and Mira, he hasn't spent much time with Blake to know most things.  
“The witch was crazy. So crazy that not even similar words could describe her insanity. She was the whole lunatic asylum.”  
Blake walked towards the shelf near her computer, stacking four books on top of each other, and carried them near the other stacks. Luckily she didn't have many books there, so two trips to the shelf would be enough.  
Blake put the books on the floor near the table because if she put them on top of the already created stack, they'd fall and get damaged. And one thing was for sure. She disliked too damaged books.  
“I will stack the books on the couch. It'll be quick, and then get the motorcycle, and we will leave."  
Blake explained.  
“No need to hurry that much. We can stay for a bit if that’s okay with you.”  
Mira said.  
"I don't mind. It's just for the bakugans. After all, we left them with Ace and Baron, and I'm sure they are bored out of their mind as we speak."  
Blake said.  
Mira chuckled.  
“They won’t.  
Mira answered.  
“If you say so.”  
Blake replied.  
Mira and Blake started to converse. Gus saw that the girls were getting deeper in their conversation and decided to help by closing and organizing the books in a stack like Blake as he felt the conversation wouldn't be short.  
Blake stopped their conversation as she noticed Keith was missing.  
“Has anybody seen Keith?”  
Blake asked, looking around.  
“I think he went near the entrance.”  
Mira pointed out.  
Blake nodded and went there, leaving Mira and Gus alone.  
Gus internally sighed, saying nothing, and continued to stack books on top of books, wondering why Blake need so many books.  
Blake walked until she saw Keith staring at the nearly transparent doors.  
Keith knew she was there, giving her a small nod. It was quiet between the two, but it wasn’t an awkward type of quietness.  
“I never realized how bad the damage was. I’m surprised you managed to escape unharmed.”  
Keith got a better mental picture than the one he did when he had a little.  
"Life is like poker. You either lose everything or win more than you asked for."  
Blake answered.  
“Of course.”  
Keith said.  
“I’m sure you don’t want to talk about that only.”  
Blake said, looking him in the eyes.  
Keith chuckled.  
“Nope.”  
And then Keith gave her a quick kiss on the lips to which Blake gave a small smirk.  
“I’m glad we met again.”  
Keith looked at her with a smile.  
“Likewise.”  
Blake replied.  
That followed with another kiss, but this time instead of the two breakings apart, Keith continued kissing her, which shocked Blake as she knew he preferred short kisses.  
As much as she wanted them to continue, they knew they weren't alone.  
“Once we are completely alone.”  
Blake commented with slight lusty eyes, to which Keith replied with a similar facial expression.  
The two continued to stare at each other until a voice snapped them out of their trance.  
"Hey, lovebirds, come here."  
Mira shouted from the different parts of the cave.  
The two dropped their facial expressions and walked back to where Mira and Gus were.  
“While you two were busy, we managed to stack all books.”  
Gus stated.  
"Thankfully, they weren't a lot and finished much quicker than we thought we would."  
Mira said.  
“Thanks.”  
Blake awkwardly smiled.  
Mira smiled too.  
"Now that the books are stacked, I will get the motorbike, and we are good to go.”  
Blake got to her usual self.  
“By Mira and me."  
Gus muttered quietly, close to a whisper.  
“Anyways.”  
Blake said, ignoring Gus's muttering.  
“It’s time for the cherry on the top.”  
Blake said, getting a remote she got earlier when she discarded the empty liquor bottle.  
She tapped one of the buttons, and sounds of engines could be heard.  
“I present to you my motorbike.”  
Blake said as the motorbike arrived quickly, but at a slow pace, not trying to destroy the cave.  
It stopped once it got near Blake.  
“Wow.”  
Mira was impressed.  
Gus and Keith were quietly observing the motorbike, which was slightly bigger than average, and the fact that this motorbike had parts from different motorbikes combined in one. The two could notice it because of their experienced eyes when it came to mechanics. Despite this, it didn't look out of place.  
“It’s so well preserved.”  
Keith said, noticing the lack of scratches and missing black paint.  
“I haven’t used it in 3 or so years. I think it’s good.”  
Blake shrugged.  
“And besides, it wasn't always without scratches.”  
Blake went and grabbed her helmet from the compartment of the motorbike.  
Keith chuckled.  
“Let’s just say that this motorbike has seen some hell.”  
Blake said, running her fingers around the helmet.  
Keith continued to look at her.  
“It happened twice. The same person both times.”  
Blake was annoyed and angry just thinking about J, and she wasn't going to let him live in her mind rent-free.  
“You must dislike that person a lot.”  
Mira said.  
"If food supplies aren't available through the Universe and one of the chances to get food is making a sacrifice to a spiritual entity, without a second thought, I'd sacrifice that person for one sandwich."  
Blake described how much she hated J.  
“That’s brutal.”  
Keith was at a loss of words for the most part, while Gus and Mira were silent.  
Immediately after that, they packed everything on the Vestal Destroyer, ready to get back on Vestal.  
In few hours, the four brawlers arrived back on Vestal and landed nearby Blake's mansion, putting everything she picked from Vestroia in her estate's living room.   
She was going to organize stuff later as she would meet with everyone in the park and pick Reaper up.  
The four walked to the designated location in the park.  
Baron waved at them, smiling while Ace was sitting on the bench with the right leg on top of the left and crossed legs.  
“You arrived much earlier than we thought you would.”  
Ace said.  
“You are saying it like it’s a bad thing.”  
Mira said, laughing a bit.  
“Shut up.”  
Ace answered with a smirk.  
“Damn it.”  
Helios said.  
“You lost the bet. You owe me a battle later.”  
Reaper said.  
Helios grunted.  
"Can someone fill me in on what just happened?"  
Blake raised her non-existent eyebrow in confusion.  
"Helios and Reaper played a 'bet.' Helios betted that all of you would be on Vestroia for one entire day, while Reaper betted half a day. Even though I think it should be the other way around, but that's just me."  
Baron said.  
"I don't have much of a patience, and as much as I like books, I’d rather get tasks over as quickly as possible.”  
Blake cut Baron’s explanation short.  
After that, she sat on the bench as her legs felt like noodles.  
"Told you. It wasn't what you were thinking, Helios."  
Reaper jumped near Helios, to which Helios grunted.  
Keith let out a tiny smirk knowing what Helios implied.  
Blake rolled her eyes.  
"Anyways, as I was saying, it wasn't much of a bet as both sides owed each other battles if they lost.”  
Baron explained.  
"Besides that, nothing eventful happened."  
Percival decided to join the chat.  
“Indeed. We were mostly relaxing.”  
Nemus jumped on Baron’s shoulder.  
“And enjoying the quietness.”  
Vulcan added.  
Gus smiled, picking him up.  
Vulcan was now happily dancing on Gus’s shoulder.  
Mira giggled at the cute moment.  
“So what are we going to do now?”  
Baron asked.  
“I don’t know. We can stay for a while and talk.”  
Gus said while yawning at the last part.  
Blake was barely holding her eyelids open while at the same time Ace was fighting his tiredness.  
Keith wasn't any better but was the best at hiding it.  
“Or we can rest at our respective homes and meet another time.”  
Baron said while looking at his friends.  
Everyone nodded, and they headed back to their respective places.  
Mira was going with Ace to his place.  
Baron was going to his parents' home.   
Gus was walking towards his small apartment that wasn’t far from the park they were now.  
And Keith was walking Blake to her mansion as he didn’t trust her in her current sleepy state to get there safely.  
After a short walk, the two arrived in front of the mansion.  
Blake opened the door with a yawn.  
The two entered the mansion and then locking the door after.  
The mansion was mostly empty. All the furniture in the estate was transported to New Vestroia and later destroyed in the fire years ago.  
One set of stairs later, the two were in front of Blake's room.  
Blake sleepily removed her boots and her outerwear, leaving her in her tight jumpsuit that reached her mid-thighs. Once she was stripped of the unnecessary clothing, she flopped on the bed, falling asleep immediately.  
Keith chuckled, stripping himself out of his clothes, leaving him only in underwear, and then joined Blake on her bed.  
The two then slept peacefully, and the same could be said about their bakugans who were sleeping on the desk.


End file.
